


I Am No Cheerleader

by Dontacronus, UndeservingHero



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Attempted Rape, F/M, NSFW later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-17
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2017-12-29 16:32:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1007604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dontacronus/pseuds/Dontacronus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeservingHero/pseuds/UndeservingHero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fem!Edd is getting unwanted advances from the football team so Kevin steps in. (Trigger Warnings in Author's note.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wrapped Up in Superman's Cape

**Author's Note:**

> H: This is a little one-shot that I did to get out of my rut with Affaire de Coeur. It’s is from a prompt from Anon: Fem!Edd is getting unwanted advances from the football team so Kevin steps in.
> 
> Anon, dear, I’m sorry. I may have taken this to a much darker place than you intended when you asked this.
> 
> Warnings: Attempted rape. Please don’t read this if this sort of content upsets you. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I love all of you too much.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own these babies.

I’m No Cheerleader

Ed’s arm draped around Double-D’s shoulders as they walked down the hall. School had just ended and the trio were on their way home. She reached into her bag to find her planner only to stop and dig through her bag in a mild panic. She went through a mental list of everywhere she had used it.

“What’s wrong, Double-D?” Ed asked, concern on his face, almost a foot above her own.

“I see to have lost my day planner…” she mumbled, still digging through her bag. “I must have left it…”

She turned to go back but Eddy’s voice stopped her. “Where are you going? We got like seven movies to watch. You can get it tomorrow!”

She looked over her shoulder and gave him a withering stare. “No, I cannot, Eddy. It will more than likely not be there tomorrow should I wait to retrieve it. You may go ahead without me. It won’t take long.” She turned and walked back to her drafting class, across from the weight room.

The door was unlocked so she went to her table and found her query on the floor where it must have fallen from her bag. She flipped to the proper page and wrote down the assignment due the following Monday.

“Well, well, well. The dork does have curves,” a strange male voice said behind her.

Confused, Edd turned. Two football players were standing in the doorway. She raised a brow. “Can I help you?” she asked, putting on a brave face. They weighed more than her by a hundred pounds apiece and always made her nervous. She clutched her notebook in her hand and separated her feet, discreetly taking a defensive stance. Her mother had insisted on some form of defence training. She had complained at the time. But as they strolled into the room, door clicking closed behind them, she promised to apologise to her mother.

The taller of the two leered at her. “You sure can, dork.” The other grinned and her spine crawled with unease. “You can get down on your knees.” He had come closer to her.

She took a step back. “E-excuse me?”

His smirk was positively full of malice. “I said you can get on your knees, bitch.”

That pissed her off. First rule of defence: strike first and strike hard. She reared back her leg and kicked him in the crotch as hard as she could.

He howled and crumpled in pain. She ran through the tables to try and reach the door, but the other male was fast and caught her wrist, causing her to jerk to a halt. Her wrist seared with pain but she pushed past it and tried to kick the second male. He spun her and pinned her arms behind her. Rough hands bruised the soft flesh of her wrists.

“I got her,” the one holding her said.

The other grunted and got up off the floor. “Bitch’s got some fight. I like that.” His grin dripped with poison as he moved toward them.

Edd resorted to Plan B; she drew in as much air as she could and screamed with everything she had. A sharp blow knocked her head back on her neck. She was dazed for a moment, but she looked back to the man in front of her. She tasted blood. She gathered all of it with her tongue and spat in into her abuser’s face. It caught him on the cheek.

He wiped it away and glared. “You’ll pay for that you little bitch.” He grabbed the tie she wore over her button-up and tore it from her throat. Meaty, rough hands grabbed the halves of her shirt apart. She started to scream again, but the man behind her clapped a hand over her mouth. She struggled hard, breasts jiggling slightly in their lace enclosure. Her hat fell to the floor as she thrashed. The only thing she could think was, “I’m going to be raped. They intend to go through with this.”

Angry hands groped her over her bra, tweaking her nipples too hard. Tears stung her eyes.

“What the fuck is going on here?” a voice boomed behind her abuser. Her eyes widened. She knew that voice!

The taller of the two turned a cocky smile on his smug face. “Oh, hey, Cap. Just having some fun with the dork here.”

She couldn’t see her potential saviour so she thrashed so hard she almost pulled her shoulders out of socket. She made muffled screaming noises in protest to tell him it wasn’t consensual.

The Captain of the football team had always been fast and brutal in his actions, moving like a predator. He took one long stride and struck the other man. He collapsed instantly, unconscious from the weight of the blow. The guy behind Edd let her go and tried to flee. She fell to the ground and whimpered as her arms regained blood-flow.

The second man didn’t make it very far. The Captain grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Straddling him, he punched him repeatedly until the other quit fighting back.

He stood and turned to Edd. The red-head towered over her where she sat on her knees clutching her shirt together. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders; blood dripped from her mouth and a purple bruise was forming on her cheek.

Kevin dropped to his knees and pulled off his letterman jacket. He gently wrapped it around Edd. She flinched as it settled on her tender shoulders but pulled it about her. He buttoned it to hide her from view and met her eyes, so wide in fear and adrenaline. He could see the white all the way around her irises. He pulled the bottom of his shirt out of his pants and dabbed at her mouth. He spoke softly when he said, “Double-D, are you alright? Did they… touch you?” He choked back rage to take care of her.

She seemed to come out of her trance and closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. “What?” she croaked from a throat raw from screaming.

His face flushed at asking again. Relief flooded into him when she shook her head. Her eyes were still closed. Maybe she was shutting the memory out. “Double-D?” She opened her eyes. “Will you let me hold you?” The Captain needed to knew it was a lot to ask after what she had just been through but he needed to know she was really okay.

She shrugged, still in her daze and winced at the sudden pain. He sat against the wall and spread his legs, pulling her in between them and loosely held her. “I’m going to call the police,” he said quietly and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jacket.

A small hand stopped him. He looked at her face. She shook her head. “No, don’t. I don’t want anyone to know what… what happened.”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about? Of course I’m going to call the police. You were just assaulted.” Rage seeped into him as she just continued to shake her head. He turned her to face him. “Edd, listen to me. No one’s going to think less of you. From what I can tell, you fought like a hellcat. There is no shame on you.” He motioned to the unconscious figures. “You, above all else, deserve justice.”

Her big eyes looked at him. Tears gathered in them. “I want my hat,” she said in a very small voice.

He looked around for it and saw it six feet away. He didn’t want to move her to get it so he took his own off and set it on top of her gorgeous mane of raven hair. “Here, you hold onto mine for me,” he said gently. “Edd, I’m going to call them. I want to know you’re safe, okay?” He took a breath. “Let me do it for me if not for you.”

Her brilliant mind showed him her confusion through cerulean eyes. “Why do you want me safe?

He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. This was not the time for this conversation. But he wasn’t going to lie to her. He raised his hand to cup her cheek gently. She didn’t flinch. He rubbed his thumb over her bruise lightly and said, “Because I care about you. A lot.”

She seemed to not comprehend. It was unsettling to see his genius childhood nemesis look confused. Slowly, so she could back away if she wanted to, he pressed his lips to her forehead. He stayed that way and said, “I care a very great deal about your well-being, Edd. Let me call them so I can rest easy.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

[Companion]

They sat together as the cops came and questioned them. Kevin held Double-D through the entire ordeal. The cop wanted her to go to the hospital, but she said they hadn’t really hurt her.

Not that way.

Kevin gathered her things and drove her home. He waited for her to change clothes in her living room, apprehensive at each passing moment. He had nowhere to put his anxious rage and he started walking around the room, pacing really.

She came back down on soft, silent feet in sweats and a hoodie that swallowed her. She wouldn’t look at him. She held out his neatly folded jacket and continued to stare at the floor. Thank you. You saved me from a horrific fate today. I am indebted to you.”

He looked at the jacket. The capital P that usually rested over his heart was placed neatly on top of the bundle. “You can keep that, Double-D.”

She peeked up through her bangs. “Why would I keep your football jacket, Kevin? You earned it. I have done nothing to earn a Letter.”

He stepped forward and pressed it against her chest. “Edd… This is not how or when I wanted to do this.” He took a quick breath. “Edd, I don’t want you to wear it because you earned it. I want you to wear it so people know I belong to you.” Heat rushed to his face and ears, but he didn’t look away.

She looked befuddled. “…Belong to me? Kevin, you can’t belong to another person.” Her blue eyes were more confused than he had ever seen them.

“I can if they’ve already got my heart,” he said quietly.

She stared at him blankly for so long, he thought about taking her to the hospital anyway to get her head checked. Then, her eyes flared and pink rushed to stain her cheeks. “Oh,” she breathed.

He smiled at her gently. “Yeah… Oh…” He rubbed his thumbs over the hands he was still pressing against her chest holding his jacket. “My heart and my jacket are yours if you want them. I know the timing isn’t all that great—” He touched the black mark on her face. “But when I see you hurt, all I can think about is protecting you. I want you to wear something that claims that you have someone to look after you.” He bit his lip. This was harder than he thought. “Edd, I – I want to know I belong to you.”

She looked to the ground again. “You don’t have to do this, Kevin.”

His brows came together. “Do what?”

She sounded exhausted and miserable. “You don’t have to pretend to be my boyfriend so people will leave me alone. I will be alright. I am perfectly capable of being on my own. I’ve been doing it since we were children.” She looked up and gave him the most heartbreakingly fake smile he had ever seen.

“I don’t want you to be alone. I want you to be with me,” he said. “Edd, I’m not doing this because I feel sorry for you. You can call Nazz and ask her; I was going to ask you to Spring Formal.”

She shook her head. “Kevin, you deserve someone who’s beautiful. Someone who matches you. You’re the football Captain—”

“I’m looking at her, Edd. Right now. Will you stop being so stubborn and coming up with excuses?” He tipped her chin up to get her to look at him. “Edd, you are beautiful. You are all kinds of beautiful. And you do match me. You are who I think about all the time. You are everything I’m not. You’re smart and funny and lovable.” He bit the inside of his cheek and wished he hadn’t said that last one just yet. “I’m conceited and cranky and people are afraid of me.” She looked up. Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. His heart dropped. “Don’t cry, Edd! I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He was panicking when she laughed softly. He stopped stammering apologies at her. “What’s funny?” he asked.

Her gap-toothed smile made a small appearance and made his heart jump. “You are, Kevin. You are funny. No one has ever told me those things. Never. But you have never been a liar. I believe you think those things to be true.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’m none of those things. I’m afraid all the time. I’m cynical. I have a smart-mouth. I am of average appearance –”

The red-head bent and pressed his mouth to her gently, careful of her busted lip. “I know all of that. I grew up with you. I literally live across the street. I likethose things, Edd. They’re what make you, you.”

The genius girl was at a loss for words, her face red.

He took the jacket from her and shook it out. He slid first one arm, then the other into the sleeves. He smiled. “I want you to wear this because, when I know you’re wearing it, there’s always part of me with you.”

She touched the number on the shoulder. The twelve he had worn for years that had always brought him luck. Her eyes welled with tears and she stepped into his waiting arms, finally giving in to the fear and anger. She clung to him as she sobbed out her emotions. She lost her strength and her knees gave way. He caught her and carried her to the couch, bundling her into his lap where he tucked her under his chin.

She quieted eventually, running out of tears. Her voice was soft if a bit rough, “I feel like I’m wrapped in Superman’s cape.”

He smiled and felt his chest swell. “You might as well be, because no one’s going to get through me to get to you. I promise.”


	2. Valedictorian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.  
> ~Khalil Gibran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hero: Okay, I promised myself I wouldn’t get mixed up with this story until Affaire was over, but that didn’t work out, now did it? So, here is chapter two~ I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer: We know I don’t own it.

Kevin sat with Edd for a long time on her couch, holding her. He felt relaxed for the first time in months. Even his coach had noticed that he’d been on edge. He had been constantly caught up with thoughts of her since the summer.

He had been hanging out with Nazz at her house in her yard, fixing her car and the blonde had drawn his attention to the troublesome trio. He had seen her running around with the other Eds in a bikini top and shorts, drenched from some stupid antic of Eddy’s. He had dropped his wrench on his face.

He brought his attention back to the girl bundled up in his jacket in his lap. She was snoring quietly into his chest. He couldn’t help but smile. She was all of the things that he had professed to her. But he liked her this way. She was soft and warm and small and a little dorky even when she was asleep.

He sighed. He should probably put her to bed. She needed the rest. She was going to be so sore the next day from the physical abuse her body had been through.

Carefully, he stood with her in his arms. Unconsciously, she shifted in her sleep to lean against him, one fist against her face, the other wrapped around her middle. He smiled and kissed her hair. He was already pretty sure he was in love with her. He would let her grow into it though. He knew he had sprung the relationship on her and she might feel differently about it in the morning, but he would enjoy it for now.

Maneuvering through her house was incredibly easy. Even though she was a teenager that lived practically alone, her house was meticulously clean and orderly. Small sticky notes were plastered to random surfaces. He saw a few in the bathroom on the mirror. He glanced in and saw that they were notes to buy more toothpaste and a new hairbrush. He chuckled to himself quietly and kept walking until he found what had to be her room. It was the only other door open.

Without moving her around too much, he managed to get the lamp on and took in her room. An old mobile of the solar system floated over her bed, science posters and the occasional doodle were stuck to the wall. They all had something to do with physics and were way over his head, but he appreciated that they were all probably completely perfectly calculated.

He let her legs go and held her like a child, a forearm under her butt holding her against his chest so he could turn down her bed and slide her under the covers. He was about to turn to go after pulling the covers up to her chin when her eyes opened slightly and she looked up at him like a lost child. “Kevin?” Her voice was still small from screaming and it made a lump appear in his throat.

He leaned down next to her. “Yes, Edd?”

She looked so afraid as she clutched at the edge of the blanket. “Would you mind terribly to stay here tonight?”

He offered her a smile he didn’t really feel and brushed her hair away from her face. No one had ever seen her afraid. Sure, when they were kids, he’d seen her scared of getting caught. This was different. This was real fear. If he ever saw those motherfuckers again, he was going to murder both of them.

“Sure, Edd. I’ll stay. Do you have some extra blankets so I can sleep on the floor?” He would sleep on rocks if it made her feel better.

She shook her head. She sounded exhausted “You can sleep on the bed with me. I don’t mind.”

Kevin’s ears flushed pink. The realization that she had no idea what usually followed those words made him look at her even closer. Even after everything that day, she was still Edd.

He smiled at her. “Okay.”

She sat up and took his jacket off, folding it neatly. “Will you put this on my desk?”

He nodded and took it from her, laying it on the empty space in the middle. He returned and took his hat off and hung it on the bedpost. She was holding the blanket up so he could lie beside her. He wasn’t used to a double bed because his was a queen, but it left less room for error and more room for cuddling. Patiently, she straightened the blanket back out and pulled it up over them both. He pillowed his head on his arm and looked at her. She rolled on her side toward him and snuggled down and looked back.

He couldn’t keep the question off his lips. “Edd, are you okay?” Despite himself, he couldn’t help from worrying about her.

Her brows furrowed from the peaceful expression she had possessed before. “You are referring to today’s events, right?” He nodded and she sighed. “I will not lie to you, Kevin. I don’t want to be alone. That is why I asked you to stay. My parents are away and I have no one else besides Eddy and Ed and they never stay here. I won’t allow it after what happened when we were children and Ed tried to eat Jim.” She motioned to a cactus that sat on the floor with a noticeable crescent shape missing from the top. It was bigger than it had been when they were kids. She smiled at the memory. She turned her attention back to him and it faded away. “I do not know why – we have been rivals our whole lives – but I trust you here with me. Your display in the favour of my well-being today proved that you have earned it.”

Kevin reached out slowly and pushed her hair from her face to curve it behind her ear. “I’m glad I earned it. But that didn’t really answer my question. Are you okay? Because, I’m already plotting homicide over here, so if you’re not, I can add torture and maiming to my list of things to do.”

That surprised a laugh out of her. “Oh dear.” She covered her mouth. “That shouldn’t be funny.”

He smiled. “I’m just glad I got you to laugh again, Edd. You looked a little too serious there for a minute.” She looked so battered and worn out, but the smile softened it.

She hid her face in her pillow and laughed again. “That really should not be that funny. Oh dear.” She was still giggling slightly when she turned her face to his again.

He was smiling, relaxed, one hand between them on the bed. He didn’t mind being her security blanket for the night. She was incredibly easy to talk to when she wasn’t trying to outwit him. It didn’t hurt that she was pretty too. He reached out and took her hand in his, wrapping hers over the top of his and squeezed her fingers. “You need to get some rest, Edd. I’m not going anywhere.”

Edd’s blue eyes were rapt to his. “You are correct.” A hint of her earlier laughter still clung to her lips. Her cheeks pinked slightly. “Would it be awkward if I requested to cuddle? Eddy, Ed, and I usually sleep tangled up together. It would feel odd if I wasn’t closer to you while I slept.”

Kevin quietly pushed his envy of the other Eds to the back of his mind as he scooted closer to her. “You don’t have to ask.” He loosely laid an arm over her waist and let her move however it was she wanted to lay. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but she was rail thin. She usually wore baggy shirts and loose men’s jeans to hide her body. During the summer, he had noticed that she was small for her height, but having her actually moving to get closer to him, he realized that she was all bone and muscle. And he didn’t figure Edd for a girl to starve herself to be pretty. She was just naturally built like a beanpole. The only exception to her thinness was the soft swell of her chest, pressed close to his upper stomach. She wriggled around for a minute and tucked her feet between his shins and curved her neck so she fit right under his chin. Her arm snuck under his to wrap around his chest and he smiled, pulling her tight against him.

He was uncertain of how their relationship stood at present, but this was nice. Cuddling was always nice. Especially with Edd, because she was one of the wriggly kind of cuddlers. She didn’t hold still for very long before she had to move again to get comfortable. He chuckled at her constant movement. At the sound, she froze and peaked up at him. “I’m sorry. It’s just…” She paused to look for words. “You’re taller than them and it’s weird fitting against someone so hard.” She poked him in the chest.

That made him laugh. “I’m sorry I’m so ‘hard’. I’ll tell Coach I need to put on some weight so I can be a better cuddle buddy.”

She snorted. “You know what I mean. You don’t have any soft spots to lay on.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I know. I’m sorry.” He thought for a second. “Hang on.” He turned onto his back and pulled her closer so she could pillow her head on his shoulder. “How’s that?”

She sighed and wrapped one of her legs around his, placing her hand around his waist. “Better.” It was a simple word, but it had a deep kind of relief in it. She had wanted to feel protected from the beginning. Kevin was big and warm and that’s all she could really ask for. He wasn’t pushing for more and hadn’t asked her again about what he had suggested earlier. Which was a relief.

She listened to the beat of his heart as she relaxed and unwound from the day’s stresses. The slow, steady rhythm lulled her and let her think of his question logically, without putting too much emotion into the answer.

Did she like Kevin? Yes. She always had. They had been rivals because of childhood spats because Eddy always came up with something new and it usually pissed Kevin off to no end. He was intelligent and well-liked, if a bit hot-tempered. He had taken up for her against men who had truly intended to hurt her.

Now that she thought about it, he had never once hurt her. He had beaten the crap out of Eddy and Ed, but had never laid a finger on her. She thought on that for a long moment and processed it, adding it to the things on her mental list of things in his favour.

She really did like Kevin, and not because he was popular. She had known him long before that. He was rough around the edges, never being nice to anyone, but never being mean either. Except to Eddy, but he usually brought it on himself.

The real question was: Did she want to date him, be seen with him or his jacket as the situation called for, go out with him to the movies and kiss and cuddle and other things that couples did together.

Edd looked at her past. She had never been in a relationship before, favouring books and the company of her friends to that of a possible mate. She found the usual social convention of dating and courting to be redundant and useless. But the thought of experimenting with Kevin was a nice one. She didn’t mind as much because he was intelligent and she had known him her whole life, virtually.

Mind made up, she moved slightly to look up towards his face. “Kevin?” she said quietly in case he was asleep.

“Hmm?” He had been lying awake, staring up at the mobile above her bed, trying to remember the names of all of Saturn’s moons.

“I would like to keep your jacket,” she said just as quietly.

He dropped the deliberation of Saturn mid-thought and looked down at her. “Really?” She nodded and he squeezed her close. “I’m really happy about that.”

She poked him in the side. “But I want to say something, before we go any further.” He nodded, waiting. “This doesn’t mean I’m going to let you win the Valedictorian spot.”

He laughed hard, holding her close. Her gap made an appearance as she giggled with him. “Duly noted, Edd. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”


	3. The Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.  
> ~Robert Brault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hero: Hope you guys like this. It’s just fluff.

Edd woke the next morning, warm and immobile. Arms held her tight against a body that ran at too high a temperature but only kept her usually too cold body warm. She opened her eyes slowly and discovered that she was pressed up against Kevin Barr, whom was still asleep.

And he was shirtless.

Her eyes widened slightly in panic until the memories of the day before came to her. She relaxed slightly. She remembered that Kevin was her boyfriend now. A blush touched her cheeks. She smiled to herself slightly. He was definitely not what she would have expected. He had been kind and supportive through her ordeal the day before and had stayed at her request. He had even cuddled with her, even though he hadn’t known at the time what she would say to a relationship.

That, however, did not explain why he was shirtless.

She managed to wriggle an arm loose, her shoulder burning, and shook him lightly. “Kevin, wake up.”

He made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled her closer, pressing his face to her neck. She squeaked slightly. His voice was rough with sleep. “Five more minutes.”

She laughed quietly. He had everything but one arm pinned. One of his heavy legs was thrown over hers. Helpless against the depth of his cuddling, she let her arm rest on his shoulder, her hand naturally going to his hair. Gently, she ran her fingers through hair kept short for sports. He squeezed her tighter and hummed.

She sighed, exasperated and amused. She had to admit, even though she was sore and still tired, waking up with someone besides Ed cradling her close was nice. Especially when said someone was a perfect male specimen like Kevin and he smelled nice. She was a scientist, not dead. She knew he was attractive. She always had.

Their attitudes toward each other had always been the wall between them. She was grateful things had changed. Now, she had another intelligent, emotionally bound person in her life. She had reason to be around him now.

Trying again, she shook his shoulder, saying his name again. “Wake up, Kevin. You’re heavy.” She liked the weight of his arm around her waist and the heft of his leg over hers, but she thought that statement might wake him.

She was rewarded when he stirred and pulled away slightly, rubbing one eye with his hand. He looked at her with the other. “Morning…” His voice was scratchy from sleep.

Edd chuckled. “Good morning, Kevin.”

He put his hand back down and concern filled his eyes. “Did you sleep okay? How are you feeling?”

His almost immediate concern over her well-being made her feel better. “I slept very well. I am sore and my face sort of hurts. Otherwise, I feel fine.”

Gingerly, he tipped her head to the side to look at her cheekbone. A black splotch marred her skin. His jaw tightened, but he swallowed back his rage. “Half of your face is black. I would be concerned if it didn’t hurt.”

She sighed. “I thought as much. He punched me pretty hard,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I’m just glad it didn’t break the bone.”

The deep well of rage opened back up in his chest. He made up his mind. If he ever saw those motherfuckers again, murder wasn’t going to be a joke.

She poked him in the chest, distracting him from his homicidal thoughts. “Why are you shirtless?” she asked.

That brought a slight smile to his face. “I got hot. I’m a hot sleeper. I usually end up without a shirt by morning.”

She considered that for a moment. “Understandable. I have to keep the house warmer than most people. I get cold easily.”

He chuckled. “I’ll keep you warm any time you want, Edd.” He squeezed her gently to punctuate his statement. His hand slid up her back to knead her neck.

She sighed in pleasure and relaxed, her lids falling shut. “That feels lovely.”

He liked that sound coming from her mouth. “I know.” He leaned and kissed her forehead. “Rest. You’ve earned it.”

“But we have school,” she protested, her eyelids opened back up over her cyan eyes.

“They’ll understand, Edd. It happened on school grounds. They’re not going to say anything to you. Sleep. I’ll stay here with you.” He kept up the soft pressure on her neck, trying to knead away her problems.

She yawned widely before giving in. She slid her arms around him and snuggled closer to him, pressing her face against his chest. “Okay.” She sounded younger somehow when she was sleepy. With his other hand, he pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and resigned himself to getting too hot. Her hands were a little on the cool side as she tucked them against his back. She hummed quietly when he kissed the top of her hair as he continued massaging her neck.

She was quickly asleep again. He was glad it hadn’t taken much to convince her to rest. He honestly could have stayed there with her, wrapped up in her bed with her held close, forever because he’d been waiting for this for a while.

Now that he was completely awake and she was asleep, he pulled away gently and studied her face as she was at rest. Her eyelashes lay like soot on her high cheekbones, small pieces of her inky hair curved and hugged her jaw and neck. He brushed the hair away from her face and bit the inside of his cheek. He wished she could see what he was seeing right that moment. She had said she was unremarkable in the way she looked, but he would have to disagree.

He sighed and kissed her forehead before slowly unwinding his limbs from hers, tucking her back in tightly. Leaving his shirt on the floor where he’d ditched it the night before, he made his way downstairs to see if he could find something to cook for her to wake up to.

[Panthera Leo]

An hour later, Edd woke up to the sound of someone moving around downstairs and the smell of something baking. She panicked before remembering that Kevin had talked her into staying home from school. She sighed and relaxed back down into her covers briefly, thinking that he was definitely a keeper. She stretched carefully and groaned when her shoulders pulled. Considering a hot shower a good idea, she padded across the room to her bathroom and started the hot water.

[Pythonidae]

Kevin looked up when he heard water start to run. He smiled. She must have been sore and decided to take advantage of the heat from the water.

With care, he pulled the muffins out of the oven and sat them on the counter to cool as he made the tea he found in the cabinet above the coffee pot. He didn’t know if she liked sugar in hers so he just left the water on the stove to keep warm until she came down. Hearing the water turn off upstairs, he pulled some muffins out of the pan and put them on a plate to set on the table.

He turned when he heard soft footsteps behind him. She stood in an oversized sweatshirt and shorts with her wet hair up in a towel. Having her hair swept away from her face made the mark stand out all the more. His jaw tightened but he smiled at her. “Morning.”

She smiled brightly at him and came closer. “Good morning, Kevin, for the second time. I thought you would have left by now.”

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. “Nah. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I made breakfast.” He gestured to the table where the muffins sat with empty tea cups, ready to be used.

She glanced over and her eyes lit up. “Oh my.” She looked back over at him. “Thank you. It’s been a long time since someone made me breakfast.” Her cheeks were rosy as she clasped her hands in front of her.

His brows came down over his eyes. “You really do live by yourself don’t you?”

Edd’s eyes were confused briefly as she looked up at him, but then it dawned on her. She sighed and nodded. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. My mother is rarely home. She travels a lot, giving seminars on brain neurosurgery.” She hugged herself. “I’ve been mostly alone since my father left when I was ten.”

He knew a lot about being alone. His parents had separated when he was eleven and then divorced two years later. Standing away from the counter, he took the three steps separating them and pulled her against him, hugging her.

She stiffened, surprised by the affection. She was unaccustomed to it from anyone but Ed. Kevin was still shirtless, but she found she didn’t mind as she slowly relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist. The comfort was nice in the wake of talking about her parents. She felt his ribs expand with his breathing under her arms. He squeezed her gently before pulling away. “Let’s eat before they get room temperature.”

She nodded and relinquished her hold on him, going to sit at the table. He brought the water and poured their mugs full and dropped teabags into them both. “Do you like sugar in yours?” he asked. She nodded and he brought it over to her and let her put in as much as she wanted, taking it back over to the counter when she was done. Being taken care of was new for her. Finally, he sat down next to her and she broke into one of the muffins that he had baked for her, steam rising from it. Little bursts of blue were smattered throughout them. She looked up at him. “Blueberries?”

He nodded. “I found them in your fridge. Thought I would put them to use.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

But an eighteen year old boy making muffins from scratch for his girlfriend of less than twenty-four hours was far from normal. And she realized that. Her face flushed and she started picking the bread apart, letting it cool. “Thank you for all of this, Kevin. It’s really not necessary though.”

His brows came down over his hazel eyes as he looked up at her. “No one said it was, but I still wanted to do it.” He put some of his own breakfast in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. “I didn’t do this to get in your good graces, Edd. I really do want to make sure you’re okay. And it’s completely selfish. I’m doing this for my peace of mind.”

She was slightly taken aback by the seriousness of his tone and the severity of his eyes. She backpedaled verbally. “Kevin, that’s not what I meant. I just mean that making me breakfast and things is appreciated, but you really didn’t need to.”

Kevin rolled his eyes and sipped his tea. “I know what you meant, Edd. I wanted to. Just leave it at that and enjoy it. I don’t do this for just anyone, alright?”

She flushed at being chastised and looked down. “I’m sorry.” She took the opportunity to take a bite of her muffin and her eyes widened. She covered her mouth and spoke. “Kevin these are wonderful.”

He chuckled and looked proud of himself. “Yeah. I’ve been cooking for myself since I was fifteen and my mom went onto third shift. I’ve gotten pretty good at simple things. Glad you like them.”

She nodded, putting more into her mouth, unashamed that she was enjoying them. She was also unabashed when she reached for another one. He was pleased with her actions. He’d been right when he guessed that she wasn’t one of those girls that starved themselves to keep thin. He ate another himself before getting up to get more tea. Their companionable silence was nice. Most girls felt the need to fill it up with useless chatter.

He glanced over as he poured more water into his cup and stopped it mid-stream. Morning sun was coming through the window and glanced off the tops of her shoulders, sheathed in her sweater. She had tucked one of her feet up under her bum and dark damp curls were beginning to fall out of the towel she still had wrapped around her hair. Her thin fingered hands were working on her second muffin still and he watched her in her full spectrum as she ate.

He flushed and turned away, cursing at himself in the back of his mind. She was entirely too damn pretty, even with no make-up and a towel around her head and a sweatshirt that would have fit around him twice. He took a deep breath before going to sit down next to her again.

“So… About yesterday…” He studied her face as she looked up at him to see what he would say. She looked wary. “Edd, I just… I want you to know that no matter what happens with those…” He bit his tongue and remembered her aversion to cursing. “Jerks. I will support you. You’re not going into this alone.”

Her dark brows arched over her eyes. She smiled slightly. “Thank you, Kevin.” She was about to object, but considered his earlier statement about not arguing against good things given out of kindness. “That makes me feel better.” Which wasn’t exactly a lie. She just wasn’t accustomed to people caring about her like he so apparently did.

Kev relaxed and finished his tea in silence, just watching her. This was definitely never going to get boring for him.

[Felis Catus]

Kevin had gone home to shower and change before coming back to take Edd out to lunch. He thought she needed a day out. He knew she hadn’t missed many days of school before and never because she was playing hookie. He took her downtown and they ate together, even though she protested when he paid. He had given in when she wanted to drive. She had tolerated the bike the day before because of her shock, but fully aware Edd had said no.

When they left the restaurant he had taken her hand and turned down the street instead of going to her car. She was surprised by the open affection and the unexpected turn. But she was beginning to realize that he was going to constantly surprise her.

He took her to the little shops and while she was wandering around, he found a basket near the front full of hair pins with little crystal things attached. He found two that matched and smiled at the guy behind the counter before going to tap her on the shoulder. She turned and smiled up at him. “Kevin? Did you need something?”

“I need you to hold still for a minute,” he said as he reached up and tugged her hat off gently.

She reached up but dropped her hands when he tucked it into his back pocket. “What are you doing?”

He chuckled and smoothed her hair back from her face. “Just wait a minute.” He separated the pin with his teeth and moved her bangs over to the side before sliding the pin in above her ear. He put the other in right beside it. “Now I can see your face.”

She flushed and reached up to touch them before going over to a mirror and leaning in. The small hummingbirds were the same colour as her eyes. She was about to pull them out when she saw the look on his face when he thought she wasn’t looking. That look sapped her of her will to turn the gift down. She straightened and went over to him, a light flush still lingering on her cheeks. “Thank you, Kevin.”

His smile widened. “Welcome, Edd. You shouldn’t hide in your hair. You’re too pretty for that.”

Her cheekbones went scarlet and she looked down. She didn’t want to argue with him. He kept telling her that, but she still didn’t believe him. “Thank you.” She touched her cheek when she smiled and it twinged.

She looked back up at him and saw the anger in his eyes before he could hide it away. “You alright?”

She nodded. “Yes, but I would like to go home, if that’s alright with you. People keep glaring at you. I think they think you’ve done this to me.”

His brows came down and he reached for her hand. “I noticed that too. I don’t really care what they think of me, but if you want to go home, we’ll go home.” He cupped her face and rubbed his thumb gently over the slightly swollen mark.

She smiled up at him. “Then let’s go. I have some things I need to do today.”

He shook his head. “Nope. You’re going to rest. I know your shoulders are still hurting. You haven’t moved your arms much. You’re not going to do anything. I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”

She rolled her eyes. “Kevin, I don’t need you to clean my house for me. I can do it.”

He gave her a look before lacing their fingers together and leading her to the counter to pay for her pins. The guy gave him a pointed look after seeing Edd’s face. Kevin’s jaw tightened but he just smiled at him before taking his money back and leaving the shop with Edd.

[Danaus plexippus]

Kevin flopped down onto the couch where Edd was sitting, reading a book. She looked over at him. “I told you that you didn’t have to do that.”

He shrugged tiredly when she said that. “And I told you I wanted to.” He’d spent two hours doing small chores for her. He pulled her across the couch and tucked her under his arm to her protests.

“Kevin, please, I’m reading,” she said, exasperated.

He nuzzled her hair. “I see that. Doesn’t mean I can’t cuddle you.”

She sighed but relaxed against him. She really didn’t have an argument. She just usually didn’t have anyone around while she was reading. “You really don’t have to be so nice to me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Edd, shut up. I want to do the things I have done. Else, I wouldn’t do them.”

She huffed at him. “Fine.” She settled down and returned to reading.

He put his head on her shoulder and started reading what she was just out of curiosity. What appeared to be a biography of Thomas Edison stared back at him.

The longer they sat there, the lower the book sank and she finally yawned. “It seems that I am in need of a nap, but I wish to keep reading.”

Kevin chuckled and took the book from her, putting his thumb in it so she wouldn’t lose her place. “Lie down. I’ll read it to you.”

She began to protest but couldn’t think of a reason why. She really needed to stop fighting him on everything. She blushed and lied down, putting her cheek on his thigh. His hand rested on her shoulder as he started to read. His voice was a deep baritone as he read over words that would have made others cry with their monotony but he somehow didn’t stop after a few minutes. He just kept reading.

Edd listened to him and couldn’t help but get distracted by the rise and fall of his voice. She had never noticed before how very nice it was. Smooth, like he was born for speaking. Eventually, it lulled her until she fell asleep.

Some time later, he looked down and smiled when he saw her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. He brushed her hair off of her face before pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and throwing it over her. His head kicked back and he closed his eyes, settling in for a nap himself. He wouldn’t wake her for the world.


	4. Dragonflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I actually forgot to post this chapter. I accidentally posted chapter five before four. So here's the actual chapter four.

“Double-D, where the hell have you been and what are you doing with shovel-chin’s jacket?” Eddy asked as they saw each other in the hallway on the way to class the next day. 

Edd stopped in the hallway and looked over at him and he got a good look at her face. 

His brows came down over his eyes. “The fuck happened to your face, Dee?” 

Edd sighed. “Language, Eddy.” She touched the pins in her hair. “I got into an altercation with two football players the day before yesterday when I went back to get my planner.” 

“Altercation? The fuck happened that you have a black mark the size of Kansas on your cheekbone?” he asked again. 

She sighed again and looked around them, pulling him to the side. “Lower your voice please. They caught me alone and thought...” Her voice caught in her throat, but she pushed past it to get the words out. “They thought they could hurt me and get away with it. When I fought back, one of them hit me and gave me this,” she said as she pointed to her face. 

“Kevin came in and stopped them. He took me home and looked after me.” Her belly grew warm at the care and the time they’d spent together the day before. 

“Doesn’t fucking explain why you’re wearing his jacket, Edd.” Eddy was pouting and she could tell. 

“Eddy, I’m wearing his jacket because I’m dating him,” she said gently.

But it was all for naught. Eddy’s face lit up with his anger and he looked as if he was about to blow a gasket. 

“Easy, Skipper. Don’t take it out on her. She’s had enough.” 

Edd relaxed and looked up to see Kevin beside her, nonchalantly scooting her behind his shoulder. Her hands went to hold onto his shirt though she wasn’t afraid of Eddy. 

“Go the hell away, shovel-chin. I’m talking to Double-D,” Eddy fumed up at him. 

Kevin didn’t budge. “Yeah. You go right ahead and keep talking, Skipper. I’m not going anywhere though.” 

“Eddy, please, this has nothing to do with you. But I’d be glad to talk about it,” she said around Kevin’s arm. 

Eddy glared at her. “Not talking to you about anything til you get your head checked, Dee. Later.” 

With that, he stormed away into the crowd of students. 

Edd sighed and put a hand over her eyes and felt Kevin turn around to hug her. “You okay, Edd?” he asked against her ear. 

She nodded and hugged him back. “It’s just... He’s more concerned about you than me getting assaulted.” 

Kevin petted her hair. “I’m sorry, Double-D. I can go kick his ass for you if you want. Tell him to apologize for being an ass.” 

She smiled and looked up at him. “I have a feeling you would enjoy that a little too much.” 

He grinned at her. “Maybe a little.” 

She smacked his chest lightly. “I know you would. But no. I can handle him. I’ve been doing it for years.” 

He nodded. “If you change your mind, let me know.” 

She nodded back. “I will.” Looking around, she saw students filtering into classrooms. “Will you walk me to class?” 

He smiled. “Of course, Edd.” 

He took her bag and put it on his shoulder along with his backpack and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as he made his way to her Chemistry class. 

When they arrived, he pulled her to the side and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to the bruise on her face. “I’ll come by and walk you to your next class, okay? So stay here. I’m not that far away.” 

She nodded up at him. “I believe that won’t be a problem, Kevin.” Her cheeks were a little flushed at the affection and a few people were staring at them, but Kevin never looked away from her face. 

He smiled down at her. “Go learn something. I’ll see you right here after class.” He squeezed her fingers before giving her the backpack back. “Text me if you need me.” 

She put her bag back on her shoulder and nodded again. “I will. Don’t skip class on my account, Kevin,” she admonished quietly. 

He snorted. “Little late for that, Dee.” 

That was true. He’d skipped a whole day for her. 

“I’ll see you after class,” he said again and laid another soft kiss to the other side of her face before turning and heading down the hallway. 

Her cheeks were warm but she was smiling slightly to herself as she played with the cuff of the jacket. Then, the warning bell rang and she jumped before heading into the room to take her seat. 

She heard whispers behind her when she sat down but ignored them in favor of pulling out her notebooks and a pen so she could take notes. 

After a few moments of filling the page in front of her, she felt something slide under her elbow. Lifting it, she saw a folded piece of paper fall to the floor. Curious, she picked it up. Unfolding it, she saw in a feminine hand, What did you have to do to get that jacket? Let him beat you up and sleep with you? 

Edd’s cheeks turned scarlet and she grew angry. Instead of replying, she put the paper in her notebook to throw away later and sat, fiddling with her pen. 

She pulled out her phone and discreetly texted Kevin about what had happened. 

His answer was almost instantaneous. [You okay?]

She relaxed slightly. [No. I’m angry that someone would think I’d let you hurt me on purpose just for this jacket.]

[Know who it was?] 

She thought about the girls that sat behind her and could think of a few that didn’t like her already and knew some of them had liked Kevin for forever. [No. But there are more than a few of your fanclub in this class.] 

There was a rather long pause but she felt her phone buzz again. [Just be careful. Those girls are insane.] 

Edd snorted quietly. [I’m aware. I can handle them though. They’re just girls.] 

[I know you can, babe. Doesn’t mean you should.] 

Edd stared at the four letter word said in affection and her face turned into a soft smile. [I’ll keep that in mind, Kevin.] 

Edd was able to turn her attention back to the board after that and finished taking notes as the teacher started speaking. 

***

When Kevin came after class to walk her to her next one, he wrapped an arm around her and took her bag, holding her against him as she looked up at him. 

Before she could even think to back away, he’d briefly laid his mouth against hers in a featherlight kiss before pulling away. 

She looked up at him with startled blue eyes and he just smiled back. “Hey,” he said quietly. 

Her cheeks finally caught up with her and flushed as she blinked. “Hi,” she said back in the same tone. 

Nevermind that the soft press of his mouth had been their first kiss. It had been her first real kiss. Eddy’s kiss to win a bet when they were children and Marie being a pest when they were kids notwithstanding. 

His hazel eyes were warm as they looked down at her. “You okay, babe?” 

She nodded. “I’m perfectly fine, Kevin.” She pulled the note out of her notebook and handed it to him when he let her go. “This is the note. Maybe you recognize the writing.” 

He unfolded it and studied it before shaking his head. “No. Doesn’t look familiar.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Edd.” 

He met her eyes. “I didn’t think about this before I asked you to go out with me.” 

He looked distressed and she took pity on him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. “It’s alright, Kevin. No harm, no foul.” 

He nodded and hugged her back. “Come on. Let’s get you to class.” 

She hummed. “Alright.” 

Taking his hand, she let him lead her to her classroom and gave her the same treatment he had after coming to get her after Chemistry, pressing a feathery kiss to her lips. 

Her face glowed after and she took her bag. She could definitely get used to that. 

***

Later, Ed came to find her. 

"Double-D! Where were you? I was worried you had gotten eaten by the great space monster from Carrion Five!" 

Edd laughed quietly and flailed a little when he picked her up in a bonecrushing hug. "Easy, Ed. I'm still sore."

He sat her down carefully. "Sorry, Double-D. Eddy is angry. Why?"

Dee's face flushed. "He's angry with me because... well... because I'm dating Kevin now."

Ed looked at her for a minute before he grinned. "That's great, Double-D! Kevin is a good captain! He makes sure I drink enough water so I don't get sick."

Edd smiled at the thought of Kevin trying to get Ed to drink water, which he hated. At least he had been successful. "I'm glad you approve, Ed. "

He nodded solemnly. "Eddy will get over it, Double-D. Don't worry."

She hugged him again. "I know, Ed. It's still upsetting."

He hugged her back. "Why do you have the black disease from Snafloot Galaxy on your face, Double-D?"

She touched the mark and sighed. "A football player hit me while another one held me." She didn't have the heart to tell him the rest. 

His face turned into hard lines. "Who hurt you, Double-D?"

She put a hand on his arm. "Kevin saved me, Ed. The boys who did this are in jail for assault and attempted rape." She squeezed his arm. "They can't hurt me anymore."

He nodded. "Okay, Double-D." 

His expression returned to normal and she relaxed. She knew Ed would have done anything to protect her and that was comforting. She also now trusted Kevin to do the same. He had put himself in danger for her already. 

"Double-D," Ed said, drawing her out of her reverie. "What about Eddy?"

She sighed. "He'll have to get over it eventually or give me up as a friend." 

He nodded. "I'll ask him to be your friend again, Double-D. I don't like you being sad."

She smiled slightly at him. "I'm okay, Ed. "

***

“Kevin, it’s really unhealthy to hang upside-down like that,” she said as she watched him hang off the couch upside-down, playing Playstation as he tried to ignore her so he could get past a maze. 

“Dammit,” he said as he fell off again. He looked over at her. “Yeah. I know. But it makes things harder.” 

She rolled her eyes. “You say that now, but you’ll have a headache later.” 

He shrugged and set the controller on the table and moved so his head was in her lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he nuzzled her stomach. “Be worth it if you nursed me back to health,” he mumbled against her. 

She smiled slightly and ran a hand through his hair. "I hardly think that's a good excuse to give yourself a headache, Kevin."

He looked up at her. "You obviously haven't looked in a mirror lately. You're way prettier than Florence Nightingale."

She blushed hard and pinched his side. "Flatterer."

He grinned and shrugged, unrepentant. “Eh. You like me anyway.” 

She shook her head in amusement. “That’s true.” 

Running her fingers through his hair, she thought about the last week. Kevin had been nothing but nice to her and had fitted himself into her lifestyle, never asking her to change her schedule or cancel any of her activities so she could spend time with him. 

He’d asked if she could make it to his game but told her that if she had something else to do not to worry about it. 

It was odd how accommodating he was being. He was far more understanding than Eddy had ever been 

Leaning down, she kissed him with the same tentative gentleness he offered her on a daily basis and he held still for her. 

When she pulled away his eyes were a little wider than normal. “What was that for?” 

She smiled. “Because I wanted to. You’ve been good to me and I just wanted to show my appreciation for it.” 

His cheeks pinked over his freckles but he smiled back. “No big deal, Edd. I like being with you.” He rolled so he was on his back, head on her thigh. He swallowed and looked slightly uncomfortable. “Can I tell you something?” 

She nodded and petted through his hair. “Of course you can, Kevin.” 

“You remember that day Eddy and Ed were being stupid with the water hose over at your house and drenched you?” She nodded again. He cleared his throat. “I’ve liked you since that day.” He paused. “Well, I mean, I’ve always liked you, but you know... like in a... romantic way...” His face was red by the time he was done and he put a hand over it. “I sound like an idiot.” 

She laughed quietly and pulled his hand away, kissing his red cheek. “You don’t sound like an idiot. It’s nice to know there is a certain point in time when you grew attached to me though.” 

He snorted. “Yeah. Right about the time I saw you running around in a bikini.” 

She flushed and he startled a laugh out of her. “Oh lord. I’d forgotten about that.” She was still smiling as she kept petting him. “Though I do suppose that’s the first time I’ve worn a bathing suit in almost five years. I tend to stay out of the sun for extended periods of time.” 

He nodded. “Yeah. I know... You... uh... You grew into your body well.” 

She blushed harder and bit her lip. “Th-thank you.” 

He leaned up and kissed her with a bit more pressure than normal. “Welcome, Edd.” 

She smiled slightly, blush still in place. “You’ve grown into yourself quite nicely too, Kevin.” 

He snorted and smiled at her. “Thanks, Dee.”


	5. Social Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is really chapter five. I posted the actual chapter four. Apologies.

Edd grew accustomed to not having Eddy come around anymore. It hurt, but she knew he would come around eventually. Maybe.

In the meantime, Kevin had taken up the slack in her time, sharing it easily with Ed and her extra-curriculars. 

Currently, she was attempting to learn how baseball worked and what the stats meant as he laid out on the floor trying to finish an English paper due the next day. 

She looked over at him where he had his head resting on his arm as he scribbled away in his notebook about the importance of solar panels. She’d helped him find the research materials, but he had been the one that insisted on reading every last article so he could write his paper. 

If she was being honest, she had half expected him to ask her to write his paper, but then she remembered that as things stood, he was to be her salutatorian. He had worked just as hard as she had. 

She was more focused on the sciences and he’d known that so he’d asked where to look, but after that, he’d engrossed himself in the research.

It was something she hadn’t ever thought she would see. She was glad she’d been wrong.

There was nothing more attractive to her than intelligence. And Kevin had that in spades. 

He looked up when he felt her looking at him and raised a brow. “Need something, Edd?” 

She shook her head. “No, I got lost in thought.” 

He nodded. “Okay.” Turning back to his notebook, he finished the paragraph before pushing himself up off the floor and stretching. “I dunno about you, but I’m starving. Want to order a pizza or Chinese?” he asked. 

She watched his body arch and heard the snap and creak of his bones settling back together. She met his eyes again. “I could do with a meal. I haven’t eaten since this morning,” she admitted. 

His brows came down over hazel eyes. “Why not?” 

She shrugged. “I haven’t really considered food. I was too wrapped up in my work up until about an hour ago.” She held up the book on baseball he’d let her borrow. “And then I got sucked into this.” 

He shook his head and came to her, leaning in to kiss her. “You need to eat,” he said, still close to her. 

Her cheeks pinked at the casual affection and his lingering proximity. “I know.” Before she could lose her nerve, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his. 

A little surprised, he cupped her face and returned it, not pulling away until she did. He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone, noticing the bruise was almost gone. He gave her a smile to guard her from his lingering anger at her attackers. 

She’d been going through backlash, both for getting the boys arrested and her relationship status with him. He worried for her because he knew how some of the girls they went to school with could be when they wanted something. She had, thus far, seemed undeterred though and ignored most of the comments about her ‘letting Kevin slap her around’ or ‘faking getting raped just to get those boys locked up for bullying her’. He could only guess it was because they knew what had really happened. 

“Kevin, are you alright?” she asked, drawing him back to the present. 

He shook himself out of his thoughts and nodded. “Yeah, sorry. So, Chinese or Pizza?” 

She smiled, laughing slightly at him. “Chinese. I can’t eat pizza for a while. Between you and Ed, I’ve had it four times in the last week.” 

He looked sheepish and scratched the back of his neck. “Oh yeah... Uh... Sorry.” 

She squeezed his arm. “It’s fine, Kevin. Truly.” 

He nodded and leaned over to kiss her one last time before going to get the menu out of the kitchen so she could order for them. 

While they waited for their food, he managed to wrestle the book away from her to kiss and cuddle on the couch. 

As they sat together, sharing small kisses, he decided this might be a good time to broach the subject. “Hey, Edd? Can I ask you something?” 

She looked up at him. “Of course you can.” 

He rolled the words around in his mouth, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “I... uh... Well, I never got around to really asking, but will you go to Prom with me?” 

She flushed and looked down. “Oh...” 

He held up a hand. “You don’t have to. I just... You know... figured you might want to go...” 

“Yes, I’ll go with you,” she said, looking up to meet his eyes. 

He paused. “You will?” 

She nodded. “I have quite a while to change my mind, but I would like to go with you.” 

He smiled and kissed her slowly. “Thanks, babe. I don’t like going to that sort of stuff on my own.” 

A dark brow arched. “Oh?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. I can do it if someone’s there with me, but if I have to participate alone, I get uncomfortable.” 

She put a hand to his face gently. “You have social anxiety?” she asked. 

He sighed and nodded. “Not a lot of people know. It’s not really bad. I just have to go outside sometimes and get away. Then, I’m good.”

She stroked over his jaw. “I had no idea...” 

He shrugged. “It’s just in big quantities. Mostly when I have to talk in front of people.” 

She nodded. “LIke Prom since you’re one of the nominees for King.” 

His eyes flared. “I’m what?!” 

She looked startled, then realized what she’d said. “Oh dear. I keep forgetting not everyone knows the nominees yet. Some are set in stone. You have the most votes so far. The boys in Student Council are handling the Queen nominees.” 

 

He groaned and hid his face against her neck. 

She petted through his hair. “It will be alright.” 

“Thanks for warning me, Dee.” 

She snorted. “Even by accident.” 

He nodded against her throat and snuggled tighter against her, fighting off images of himself fumbling through an acceptance speech. 

She stroked through his hair slowly to get him to calm down and kissed his cheek. “It’s alright, Kevin.”


	6. The Ring of Aluminum Hangs Heavy Over the Field

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter. With everything going on with family and friends and the holidays and Nanowrimo, I really should have had this up a while ago. I lost my steam. Hopefully, I've gotten it back.

The following Saturday, Edd found out that an aluminum baseball bat makes a very distinct sound when a home run is hit with it. Kevin also made a distinct joyous whoop when he was the one that hit it.

She grinned from the stands as he made his loop around the bases. If her informational book was anything to go by, his lap around the bases would cement the score in his team’s favor for the last three minutes of the game. Unless the person up next was horrible, Kevin had just won the game.

“Look Double D,” Ed said from beside her as he smiled. “Aliens won’t even be able to find that ball. I think that is a good thing.”

“It is.” Edd chuckled. By the ball’s angle and trajectory, she could guess where it had gone. An idea struck her and she turned to her best friend. “Ed, would you please follow me?”

“Sure, Double D.” The gentle giant stood up when she did and they moved to the back of the bleachers.

She walked down the stairs and took a right, walking around the field to the forested area.

“Are we looking for maneating bugs?” he asked as the light from the falling son grew more sparce here. 

“Not quite.” She chuckled, looking at the field and walking deeper until she came to a place with a broken branch. The brunette looked up and smiled. “Ed, would you please fetch the ball up there?”

“Sure!” The bigger teen started to climb, not sure where the ball was but knew if Double-D said it would be there, he'd find it.

Edd waited, brushing her pleated skirt to lay flatter against her legs. She watched the teen disappear into the branches and a moment later, a triumphant ‘Found it!’ was called. She winced when the other all but dropped to the ground. She was about to reprimand the other on safety when a ball was held out very close to her face. She let the incident slide as she took it. “Thank you, Ed.”

“No problem, Double D.” The other smiled. “Should we go back?”

“Yes," he girl agreed and turned. They made it back to the field to watch the players shake hands. As she had correctly assumed, the score hadn’t changed and the player after Kevin had only gotten to second, not willing to risk it to get to third.

She said goodbye to her friend when Sarah came for him to get a ride home. After, she waited by the locker rooms, ball in her hand. She looked up when noise of the other’s leaving started to get louder.

Kevin was being thumped rather hard on the back as he laughed, walking with the crowd back out toward the fields. He saw Edd and jogged to her, sweeping her up in his arms twirling her around. “There’s my lucky charm.”

She grinned, a little flush on her face. “I have something for you.”

“I hope it’s a kiss,” he said quietly as he set her back on her feet.

“I can give that to you if you want.” Edd smiled softly. “This is a little more relevant to your game’s happenings.”

He arched a brow, momentarily sidetracked. “What about the game?”

She noticed his attention shift. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

He looked mildly wary but did as she told him, holding it palm up. “If it’s something slimy, I’m going to wig out and probably throw it at somebody.”

Edd giggled and filed that away for another time. She pulled the ball out of her messenger bag and set it in his hand. “Don’t worry, nothing bad this time.”

He opened his eyes when he felt the familiar leather of a baseball in his hand and saw the red scuff on it from where his bat had hit it. He smiled slightly and looked up to meet her eyes. “I’m not even going to ask how you found it. But thanks, babe.”

He wrapped an arm around her and dipped her slightly backwards as he kissed her.

She kissed back, hands sliding over his shirt to curl her fingers into the fabric. She was becoming more accustomed to his free affections and had tried to stop admonishing him for public displays. When they broke apart she beamed at him. “I believe it is a memento of sorts, having a home run ball, yes?”

He righted her and held her as the boys wooped at the show before gathering their things. His attention was on her though. “Yeah. Thanks, babe. I’ll put it up with my other ones, okay?”

She nodded. “Shall we celebrate? We can go out to get something to eat or we can go back to my house.”

He shrugged. “Either one’s good for me.”

“Then back to my house would be prefered.” She nodded. “I do have some experiments I need to check on. And I have that movie we had talked about seeing.”

He hummed. “I can live with that.” He stole another kiss before releasing her. “Let me get my bag.”

“I will wait here.” She smiled, moving to stand by the pole, leaning against it as she waited.

Kev jogged back over to the dugout and grabbed his bag and the Gatorade he’d been drinking during the game. One of the guys asked him about Edd and he glanced in her direction through the chain-link that filled the window of the dugout as he answered.

She looked great in the skirt and button up top with his Letterman over it. She was completely unaware of how good she looked and that was what killed him. Apparently, no one else saw it. He'd grown up with her though and he'd watched her turn into someone he could see himself holding while he slept.

He slung the bag over his shoulder and jogged back over to her. He wrapped his other arm around Edd when he came back, beginning the walk to her car.

“Um, Kevin,” Edd started. “Do you have plans for Halloween yet?”

He shook his head. “Nah. Though I think one of the guys is having a party or something at his house.”

“I usually have plans with Eddy and Ed, but since that may not happen I’m thinking of doing something different.” She unlocked her car as they walked up.

He shrugged. “You’re welcome to come with me if I end up going.” He released her and put his bag into the backseat. He moved to open her door for her.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him and got in. “And I would like that.”

He leaned down and kissed her gently. “Okay. I’ll see what the details are.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “If anything I guess I could always leave the light on for trick or treaters.”

He hummed. “Yeah. And get snuggly while we watch horror movies.”

She cringed at that thought but tried to hide it. “We’ll see.”

He smiled at her and went to go get in beside her. “Alright. Where to, babe?”

“We should head back to my house.” She repeated, starting up the car. “Unless you want to stop somewhere for food? I can always cook too when we get back.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

She pulled out of the parking lot. “Back to the house then. Are you craving anything?”

“Whatever you want to fix, babe. I’ve got physics homework to do.” He made a face and sank down in his seat, sighing when his aching thighs stretched out.

“Do you need help?” she asked. She knew by now he wouldn’t ask her to do it for him but she was more than willing to help him if needed.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I can remember all of the laws but the math is what trips me up."

"I can check it out once you finish, if you want." She turned down the street and pulled into her driveway.

He nodded and yawned. “That’s fine.” He got out and stretched, going around to open her door for her. His shirt rode up as he did, flashing a small strip of skin beneath the dark green of his shirt.

He pulled her door open and waited til she got out before getting his bag out of the backseat.

She nodded as she stood beside him. "I'll start a light dinner for us then while you work."

He paused and pulled her against him, other hand holding his bag over his shoulder. “You’re too good for me. You know that? I got lucky when you said yes.”

Edd flushed a little bit. "I'm only doing what would be expected, nothing fancy."

He shook his head. “No, I don’t expect anything from you. I’d have been just as happy with a pizza. I’m trying to say thanks, Edd.”

"Oh," she paused and nodded. "Then you are welcome. I should try and get better at accepting gratitude."

“Probably,” he said with a smile. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Come on. It’s getting late.”

He nudged her toward the house and followed her in, sitting his bag down in the hallway so it wouldn’t get dust everywhere.

 


	7. Halloween Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first NSFW chapter and isn't really necessary for the plot so read at your own risk.

The doorbell rang for what felt like the thousandth time since six o’clock when the first of the trick-or-treaters had started coming around and Kevin groaned. “I just want ten minutes of uninterrupted cuddling with you. That’s all,” he said as she giggled and got up from his tight hold on her, gathering the bowl of candy from the table.

“Hush, Kevin. You signed up for this when you turned on the light,” she admonished lightly.

He sighed and got up to answer the door with her. If he was being honest, the little kids in costumes made him happy.

She pulled it open and he wrapped an arm around her waist as they were barraged with "TRICK OR TREAT!!"

She laughed and offered the bowl to the astronaut and the mad scientist that were standing on the doorstep. Both girls were grinning up at them when Edd said, “I love your costumes." Her bright smile was infectious and Kevin felt a curve touch his mouth.

She asked them if they really wanted to be a scientist or an astronaut and was very enthusiastically assured they were.

As the girls ran away, they waved to the parents standing at the end of the walkway near the street.

Kevin got an odd itch to see his own kid running around wearing something silly and quashed it before he did something foolish.

Edd smiled up at him and closed the door. She was wearing a basic lab coat over her jeans and shirt that said ‘For Science!’. “Would you like some hot chocolate or anything?”

Kevin kissed her after the door clicked closed and shrugged. “Hot chocolate’s fine.”

“Alright. I’ll go get it.” She motioned to the kitchen. “Mind getting the door if we get some more?”

Kev nodded and took the bowl from her. “Sure.”

“Thank you.” She went to the kitchen and set about getting everything needed.

Kevin sat back down on the couch and put his feet up, rubbing a hand over the Superman shirt she’d given him and smiled slightly.

She came back soon and handed him his steaming mug. “Here you go.”

He pulled her close and tucked her under his arm while he held the mug in his other hand. “Thanks, babe.”

Edd smiled lightly and took a slow sip of her own. “Thank you for being here.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Where else would I be?”

“I’m not sure.” She shrugged. The brunette set her cup down and turned to kiss Kevin properly.

Kevin held his cup away from them and returned the kiss, holding her against him as his hand slid down to cup her side.

She leaned in to the kiss and cupped his face.

Kevin felt for the edge of the table with the back of his hand and set his cup down before pulling her over into his lap.

Edd flushed a little but didn’t mind it at all when he did so. She carded gently through his hair and darted her tongue carefully over his lip.

Kevin pulled her flush against his chest and let his own tongue slip out to gently tease her, not wanting to push too far too fast.

Edd felt heady at his actions. He was so caring that it filled her heart to the brim. So different from childhood and when she thought she had to be scared of him. She focused on him and nibbled lightly over his lip. Her hands trailing over his shoulders.

He hummed at the light tug of her teeth over his lip and moved his hands to cradle her hips. He pulled back slightly and traced his lips over her jaw and nuzzled under her ear.

Edd was a little embarrassed by the little gasp that came out but just leaned her head for him. She brought his hand up and blushed a little when she kissed over the palm, taking a finger in to suck on like Nazz had informed her.

Kev was busy pressing light kisses to her neck when he felt wet heat close around one of his fingers and he froze. That was the last thing he’d expected from her.

When he froze up, she cringed and stopped. “S-Sorry, that was probably a bit much.”

Kev cupped her face and met her eyes. “Hey, no.” His cheeks were pink. “Just... Wasn’t expecting it. Okay?”

“It wasn’t… bad?” she asked, needing some sort of gauge to see if she should continue.

He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip and smiled. “No. Not bad.”

She smiled and leaned in to kiss over it. Nipping over the calloused pad.

Kev made a noise in his throat and leaned forward to claim her mouth again.

She leaned in and enjoyed the other’s attention.

Kev held her jaw in his hands and nipped her lip before sucking on it lightly.

She made another soft noise and carded through his hair again. Edd thought about pulling away but this was too good.

He dragged his mouth back down her jaw and nibbled her neck below her ear. She wasn’t telling him to stop and he took that as a good sign.

Edd carefully took off her lab coat and draped it off to the side. She was getting warm in it and expected to only get warmer.

Kev let her go and watched her take the coat off, wondering exactly how far they were going with this. He wasn’t going to complain but he didn’t want to push too far.

She took a moment to compose herself. “I would like to go further than what we have…”

She felt her face heat up and her voice shake a bit. “But I don’t want to… go… all the way with you… if that makes sense…”

Kevin’s own cheeks tinged but he took her face in his hands and nodded. “You tell me you don’t want something and I stop, okay? I don’t want to make you do anything.” He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth.

“Thank you.” She murmured against his lips before leaning in.

He held her close and kissed her in return.

Edd smiled and leaned in, relaxing into him. She carded through his hair and nipped over his lip.

He shifted them so she was laying with him between her legs as he pressed kisses.

She mentally flailed but remained kissing him. She didn’t want to freak out or seem reluctant to do this. Kevin was more than willing to be gentle and he knew what he was doing. She knew that she should let Kevin lead since he would be more knowledgeable.

He felt her stiffen slightly but didn’t push further yet, taking her fingers in his and lacing them together above her head as he spent time making her lips puffy with his light attentions.

She let him and after a bit pulled away. “While I don’t mind that in the least, I do not wish to get chapped lips.”

He snorted and laid his forehead against her collarbone as he laughed. “Sorry.”

“I find the experience annoying and wish to avoid it if possible.” She mumbled, trying to justify herself. After a beat though, Edd was worried she had ruined the moment. “If you wish you can remove my shirt… if you want.”

Kevin blushed a deep pink and lifted his face to look her in the eye. “Edd, we don’t have to do anything else if you don’t want to.”

“I already stated that I would like to.” She huffed a little. “I’m relying on you in this situation because I know you have more experience.”

He snorted. “No. I don’t. Made out a few times, but that’s it.”

She looked slightly confused. “You’ve never gotten farther than that?”

He shook his head. “Nope.” He held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor,” he said with a smile. He propped himself up on his elbows. “Tales of my escapades have been severely expounded upon by the rumor mill.”

“There was talk of twins.” She stated dryly. “At the same time, the rumor mill is horrifying.”

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her nose. “Yeah. It is. And that’s why those cheerleaders are so scary. They started all that crap when I wouldn’t sleep with Renee.” He traced her cheekbones with his thumbs.

“Well, shall this be an experiment for both of us?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He smiled. “Leave it to you to think about this like an experiment.”

“It makes me less nervous,” she admitted. Edd figured she might as well be honest.

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Make you feel better that I’m nervous too?”

“A little, yes.” She nodded. “And relieved that I don’t have to worry about comparing to anyone.”

He smiled. “Nobody can compare to you, babe, so don’t worry about it at all.”

“Thank you.” She chuckled.

He kissed her and nipped her lip, sucking softly.

“Kevin,” she reprimanded, pulling her lips away. “You are going to give me chapped lips if you continue.”

He snorted. “Sorry, I forgot.” He nuzzled her jaw and put his teeth to good use again, dragging them down over the side of her neck as he tugged the collar of her shirt aside to press a kiss to her collarbone.

She hummed softly, making little excited noises as he dragged his teeth over her sensitive skin.

He nipped and kissed at her throat as he did as she had told him to, sneaking his fingers underneath the hem of her shirt and slowly dragging his hands upward, bringing the shirt with them.

She shivered a little at the exposure. Edd had fought with herself what to wear, Naz had said sexy but the brunette only had one bra that was even close. It was a black one with little frills along the edges at the top. It wasn’t much and didn’t even match her deep blue panties but she didn’t feel comfortable buying something.

Kevin took the time to toss her shirt over to the chair next to the end of the couch before looking down at her and his cheeks pinked. He’d expected functional, but Edd had on a bra that was cute with little lacy bits at the top that lightly touched the swell of her chest. He smiled before tracing one finger along the edge and looking up at her.

“I don’t have ‘pretty’ underwear.” She mumbled. “I hope it isn’t off putting.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips along the lace. “It is pretty, Edd,” he said against her skin.

“Thank you.” Edd mumbled, biting her bottom lip. She looked around. “Would you like to go up stairs?”

His stomach exploded with butterflies before he nodded. “If you want.”

“I don’t know if you really want to have my- our firsts here. At least as far as I’m comfortable with anyway.”

He pressed a kiss to her mouth. “Babe, I told you, we’ll do what you’re comfortable with.”

“Then a bed would be prefered.” She nodded, moving to get up.

He nodded and sat up, letting her scoot out from underneath him as he unfolded from the couch. He snorted when he realized the light was still on outside and went to go turn it off.

“Thank you.” She smiled, picking up her shirt and moved to her room.

He followed her up and leaned against the doorframe, just looking at her. Her lean form was a pleasant sight and he really could not wait to get his mouth all over her.

She walked to the bed and thoughtlessly undid her bra. When it hit the floor, she realized what she did. “Um, I’m sorry, did you have plans to take that off?’

He watched as she did the mundane motion and his lashes lowered. “You got it off easier than I would have.” He straightened and walked over to her, settling his hands on her hips and kissing her shoulder.

The brunette nodded. “True.”

He moved his hands to the flat of her belly and slowly up to feather over her ribs. He lightly dragged his teeth over her shoulder.

She shivered slightly and leaned into his mouth. She brought her hands up and stroked through his hair.

He let his eyes travel down over her as his rough palms came up to tease at the soft skin of her breasts. He pinched over the peaks and rolled them carefully with his thumbs as he nibbled at her.

She flushed bright red at the noise that escaped her lips. That had been more pleasurable than expected. She hadn’t experimented on herself but she knew the erogenous zones from anatomy.

Kev almost groaned in answer because she was eight kinds of perfect. He moved his hands away before guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed.

She moved carefully, not sure what he wanted to do. The brunette got comfortable and waited, looking up to the other.

Kev sank to his knees against the plush carpet and cupped her again as he kissed her, sucking on her lip.

She kissed back, nipping over his lip when the option was available. She rubbed over his shoulders and scratched over the skin lightly.

He pinched her a little more firmly before freeing his lip from her teeth and lowering his mouth to suck on her.

She shivered and bit her bottom lip softly. She grinded her legs together a little to relieve the tension building between them.

He teased her with his teeth and laid her back before lapping at her and making sure each one was well taken care of.

She shivered and felt bad. “K-Kevin, is there anything I can do?”

He looked up at her. “Let me worry about you first and then we’ll worry about me. Just enjoy it, okay?”

She nodded slowly and laid back to relax. Edd couldn’t help the noises his mouth worked out of her. Her stomach tightening and her legs shaking as something built up in her more and more. It felt like a wire or a compressive force about to reach it’s limit. Suddenly she gasped and the force of what had to be an orgasm shot through her. “Oh, oh god, K-Kevin!”

Kev held onto her hips and worked her through it slowly before he pulled away. If he wasn’t already Catholic, he probably would have picked that up as a religion. He used his shirt to wipe his face off and moved to scoot her up further on the bed and lie beside her. “You okay, babe?”

“Very.” She mumbled, her eyes dazed and a flush over her cheeks. She was boneless and her thighs twitched with the pleasurable tremors rolling through her.

He petted her hair back from her face and kissed her. “Good. Means I got it right.” He pulled her up against him and tucked her face against the S on his chest.

She nuzzled into it. “I can’t believe that’s the first time you’ve done that.”

He snorted and kissed her hair. “I pay attention. And I read.”

“I believe the internet is a good source also?” She felt her cheeks flush.

That pulled a laugh from him and his own cheeks flared. “Yeah...”

“Do you want me to… reciprocate?” She asked, motioning to his lap.

“I’ll be alright if you don’t want to, babe,” he said as he traced his thumb over her waist.

Edd paused and thought about it for a while. “Lay back, please.”

Kevin arched a brow but rolled over onto his back and sprawled over the bed for her. “You sure about this?”

“As long as you are okay with it.” She looked up at him.

He touched her face. “I’m definitely okay with it.”

She smiled and started in at the task at hand.

 

 


	8. Don't Run with Scissors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violence, yo. Mucho violence.

Two days later, Edd looked around at the party, thumbing over the rim of her cup. She was dressed up again as her Mad Scientist and Kevin had gone to talk to a teammate.

She chewed on her lip as she tried to find the one person that she was hoping to see. Ed had stated that the shorter of the trio was going to make an appearance and she wanted to at least catch a glimpse of her best friend. He had taken some ridiculous measures to avoid her and it was getting painful.

Was Eddy really not going to accept her decisions?

Her heart sank a little at the thought but she didn’t want to give up Kevin. She sighed and moved to go to the bathroom in hopes of finding a little piece of mind.

She was walking up to the bathroom when she was shoved in a different direction. Her head thumped against the door frame and her vision swirled as she was shoved into what appeared to be an office.

The light came on and made her head pound even more. She tried to focus, curling up into a ball to minimize damage for any further attack.

“Alright you nerd slut.” Came a cold female voice. “We are tired of your bitch ass crawling all over Kevin.”

“Yea, we were nice before.” Edd’s hair got pulled and she let out a cry as her head was jerked. “You should have listened to the notes we sent you, now we seriously are going to mess you up.”

Edd felt her face blossom with pain. She shuddered and tried to pull away but her hair hurt at the roots.

Think Edd, put… put your hand on your head, stop them from pulling. She brought her fingers up and tangled it into the hair that was clumped up. She tried to open her eyes but they were still swimming and a case of vertigo hit her. She breathed in, ready to scream when the pointed toe of a high-heeled shoe connected to her stomach.

“Fuck no, we aren’t done with you. You don’t deserve Kevin to save you, you never did.” Edd heard the sound of metal sliding over metal and she tried to focus on the one holding her hair. She saw the scissors and started to struggle more. “Hold still or I’ll cut your fucking ear off too.”

“Make her look better.” One girl laughed.

A loud boom came from the door and it bounced off the wall as six feet of pissed off male pushed through it and grabbed the one with the scissors by the hair and threw her off of Edd before he went for the one holding onto her hair. He grabbed her by the throat, his green eyes flashing behind the glasses Edd had given him to wear. He bared his teeth at her. “Let. Her. Go. Now.”

The girl made a terrified shriek and let go of Edd’s hair before he shoved her away and gently picked Edd up off the floor, taking her face between his hands. “You alright?”

“Better now.” The other mumbled, tucking in close to Kevin. She watched as the girls ran out the door. “How did you know?”

“Fucking Renee,” Kevin growled as he watched the girls bolt. His eyes shifted to the pane of glass beside the door to the office. Eddy was standing there, looking completely baffled. “He came and got me. Saw them drag you in here.” He turned back to her and kissed her gently. “You sure you’re alright?”

“Eddy?” Edd looked over at the other, unsure if it was real. She kissed Kevin but only half heartedly, she was distracted by her friend.

Kev felt her attention shift and nodded. “Yeah. He came and got me, told me you were in trouble. Didn’t question why. I just ran.” He put his arm around her and moved them to the door, opening it for her. He met Eddy’s eyes. “You’ve got some apologizing to do, Skipper.”

Eddy kicked at the ground before looking up at Edd. “Listen, I saw what they were doing and I heard some of what they said to you. You don’t deserve that, and I figured if you’re willing to put up with that, you’re not dating him just to piss me off.”

“Thank you Eddy.” Edd smiled slightly. “And it’s not to make you mad, I promise… can we… can we be friends again?”

“Duh...” he said before stepping forward and hugging her tight.

Kevin let her go and backed away from it. He knew Edd needed this more than she’d been willing to admit. And as much as he couldn’t stand Eddy, he wanted her happy.

Edd hugged him close. “Thank you, I missed you.”

“Yeah... You too,” he mumbled.

Edd let him go and smiled at him. “Thank you, and thank you for getting Kevin.”

He shrugged. “Woulda done it, but we both woulda ended up bald.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Can’t risk my hair,” he said as he started walking back toward the party.

Kevin rolled his eyes and came back over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. “He’s still an asshole.”

“But he’s my friend.” She leaned into him and smiled. “Again.”

“Yeah. I know.” He kissed her hair and led her back to the party.

“Can we go home soon?” Edd asked.

He nodded. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Ready.” She nodded, threading her fingers through his.

He chuckled. “Yeah. Don’t blame you. Let me tell Charlie I’ll see him on Monday.”

“That’s good, I’ll stay with you though.” Edd felt the minor zing of panic at the thought that she was going to be alone for a little bit again.

He nodded. “Sure, babe. I was going to take you with me.”

“Alright, do you want to watch any movies when we get back?” Edd asked idly.

“Doesn’t matter to me. I’m down to cuddle on the couch though,” he said as he lead her over to where Charlie was standing with Devon. “I’m outie, guys. Gonna head in early.”

They clapped hands with him and nodded. “See you Monday, boss.”

Kev waved as they turned away. “Later.”


	9. Senior Pictures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nsfw so if you don't want to read it, it's not really important but it's relationship building too.

Edd’s face flared as she walked down the hallway and tried to discreetly pull the pleated skirt down over her bottom and thighs. It wasn’t really that high, it just felt that way.

She was trying to hurry to the gym because they had an all day assembly because of the senior pictures for certain activities and a class picture that was going to involve everyone. That made her current predicament even worse.

As she entered the gym, she looked around to try and find a certain red hat that she’d been missing since the night before. His mother had required his presence and he hadn’t been able to get out of it.

So she had given in when Nazz had called her and asked her if she wanted to come over and hang out with her and Sarah and a couple of her other friends.

Now, she regretted that decision, but she finally found him on the other side of the gym. Cursing her fortune at having to brush by nearly two hundred people to get to him, she started wending her way through them before finally coming up beside him.

“Good morning, Kevin,” she said near his elbow as he spoke with Charlie.

He turned at the sound of her voice and grinned.  “Hey, babe.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss that she didn’t even have time to object about before taking her by the waist and pulling her against his side.

He took in what she was wearing and smiled, leaning to speak in her ear, “I dig the outfit, babe.”

Her blush got worse and she pressed her face against his shoulder as he chuckled and went back to talking to Charlie.

He looked good in his clothes too, but she was too shy at the moment to tell him so. Dark jeans with his baseball jersey tucked in and a wide leather belt around his hips, Letterman jacket pulled over his shoulders.

The whistles of the gym teachers went off around the room and they all started filing up into the bleachers to take their seats for the assembly.

 

Charlie was sitting down two rows from Edd and Kevin and he turned to look up at Kevin to tell him something. His eyes got caught on something else and his face turned bright red. He jerked his head forward and pulled out his phone.

[Hey man, don’t think me a perv but… your girl isn’t wearing any… you know.]

Kev had his hand tangled up in Edd’s so he used his other to wrestle his phone out of his pocket when he felt it vibrate and arched a brow at the text he got from Charlie. He sent back, [The hell are you talking about, dude?]

[Dude, she doesn’t have any underwear.] The back of Charlie's neck was bright red.

Kevin looked at the back of Charlie’s head and saw the red creeping up past his collar and his own cheeks pinked at the thought. Edd, goody-two-shoes Edd, not wearing any panties under her skirt?

He glanced over at her and she was paying attention to the photographer that was telling them what was going to happen for the class picture. His eyes dropped and he noticed her nipples were hard against her shirt and had to stifle a groan. And the bra was apparently missing too.

He scrubbed his hand over his face and had to fight off a boner. Now was not a good time.

Edd stood carefully when they were told to stand and move to groups. She kept her hands behind her, carefully holding the skirt down.

Kevin watched as she stood and saw her hands move to the skirt and really did groan. Fuck him. She was really not wearing panties. He wanted to take her out of here and ask her what the fuck had gotten into her, but they couldn’t miss these pictures. Especially Edd since she was Valedictorian.

Edd was able to get through the pictures, happy that the individual pictures would be the next day after lunch. No one seemed to notice that she was at a level of indecent and breathed a sigh of relief when the coach told them to head to lunch and then to their regular classes.

As they were dismissed, Kevin found Edd again and went to her, taking her by the hand and leading her out into the cafeteria and over to the theatre, which was blessedly empty. He ducked into the storage room at the back and tugged her in, locking the door behind them.

“Kevin?” Edd asked, blinking up at him.

He took her by her upper arms and met her eyes. “Why aren’t you wearing panties or a bra?” He didn’t really see a reason to beat around the bush with this and they didn’t really have long.

Her face went bright red. She had felt silly all day but now she felt shame build up. “K-Kevin…”

He saw the blush. “What’s going on, Edd?”

“It was a dare, nothing bad.” She mumbled.

He relaxed a little and pulled her against him. “Tell me what happened.”

“I was hanging out with Nazz and Sara and I had the dare.” Edd shrugged, fidgeting. “So I went through with it. Nothing special.”

He took his jacket off and put it around her shoulders. “Well, it could have gotten you expelled or something if anyone had noticed.” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you just not do it?”

“It didn’t seem fair to Nazz or Sarah.” Edd pulled it on. “And there is nothing in the rulebook about it. I checked last evening.”

He shook his head and his temper flared. “I’m taking you home.”

“Kevin? Are you angry at me?” She felt like she was getting on Kevin’s nerves for the first time in a long time.

“No, but this was stupid, Edd.” He opened the door and led her out through the side door of the theatre and circled the building until they got to her car.

She sighed and followed, not sure what to do now. She hugged the coat tight to herself and buried her face in the collar as they walked.

Kevin opened her door for her and let her in before he took her keys and drove her home, parking in his own driveway.

“Kevin?” Double Dee was really beginning to want to go to her own house.

“Come on,” he said as he led her into the house.

Edd looked up at him, biting her lip. “K-Kevin... I’m sorry...” Tears were beginning to well in her eyes at the shame that was building up higher as the conversation continued to be stilted.

Kevin made a noise in his throat, acknowledging her but still not sure he could speak without losing his temper. He didn’t want to do something that pushed the other away but at the same time, he felt Edd had done something that could have gone horribly wrong. He walked up the stairs after turning on his heel away from her.  

Edd’s face grew hot at the slight sound the other made. She had never been brushed off like this and it hurt. She shook as she followed him up to his room. She pulled the front of her short skirt down and blushed harder.

He closed the door behind them and turned to look at her as she squirmed in front of him. As he watched her, her face turned redder, and she shifted on her feet. She couldn’t look him in the eye now, though he betted she wanted to say something.

Edd had a whole slew of things she wanted to say but she was having other troubles. The building up of shame in her was somehow working over her body and doing things to it. There was the standard perspiration, goose bumps and fluttering stomach but now there was also a tightness in her stomach too, along with her body turning sensitive to the brush of her shirt to her breasts and the tingling that was growing in her pelvis, making her even more ashamed but at the same time fed the growing, startling arousal.

Kevin didn’t know what to do with her now that they were alone. He didn’t want to tell her he was mad at her. The last thing they needed right now was to have their first fight. Then he noticed her odd behavior. “What’s wrong?” It came out sharper than he meant for it to, but it was too late now.

She jerked a little and fidgeted, her thighs pressing together and rubbing at the tone. Her face flushing more. “I’m...I… If you are done with me, I believe I would like to leave.”

Blushing shouldn’t have been her reaction to his anger. Then, he noticed her pulling at the hem of her skirt, as if fending off someone trying to lift it or trying to hide her thighs. His eyes narrowed. “Edd, why are you fidgeting like that?”

She flushed and looked at the ground, fidgeting under his view. She stayed silent as she felt her insides build up more.

“Answer me,” he barked. His temper was already short and her not cooperating was starting to actually get to him.

Edd shuddered and a little noise came out of her. She flushed brighter and moved to cover her face. “I’m sorry.”

“I swear to God, you’re acting like a fucking child. If you were, I’d probably give you a fucking spanking for acting like a little girl,” he said as he paced away from her.

That sent a zing through her at the thought, she flushed redder and shifted more. She crossed her arms and pressed the coat against her hardened nipples. She was fully aroused on the shame that had started to swell up in her. She didn’t realize she could be this way. She knew it was a type of mental stimulant or trigger and Kevin didn’t even realize he was pressing it.

Kevin watched her fidget and squirm and then a sudden wave of heat washed over him as it dawned on him. Edd likes the idea of spanking. He glanced at her fingers brushing against her chest. A lot, it would seem.  

Now it was his turn to be uncomfortable. His cock overrode his brain and made him imagine how fucking hot it would be to have Edd over his knee, punishing her for her stunt.

Lust guided his hand to her chin to turn her face up. She was biting her lip, her eyes wide. She looked down, her face still tilted up, as she avoided his eyes. Yeah, she was definitely thinking what he was. She only looked like that when she was horny. He agreed with her if his hard-on was any indication. He leaned down and brushed her dark hair away from her ear. Quietly, he said, “You would like that too much for it to be a punishment wouldn’t you?”

She squeaked and jerked back, looking up at him with wide eyes, shocked by his candor. “What?!”

He smiled, the expression not softening the angles of his face. “You heard me and by your reaction, you know exactly what I meant.”

She backed away slightly, keeping a tight hold on the bottom of her skirt. “Kevin, don’t say such things...” She almost sounded disappointed, like she felt he was only teasing her, but she couldn’t lie to him. Her pupils were dilated and her face was still flushed.

“I promised I’d never lie to you.” He stepped closer slowly, not wanting to scare her. He took her by the shoulders. “I’m telling the truth aren’t I? You would enjoy that wouldn’t you?”

Edd looked close to tears again in fear of what he might thing but she nodded.

Kev didn’t want her to cry. He leaned over and kissed her soft mouth, nipping her full lip. He could feel the heat radiating off of her face. She let out a small sound and leaned up on her toes to follow his mouth when he began to pull away. He smiled against her lips and stood up straight. No matter how smart she was, she was still a hormonal teenager.

His hands slid down her arms to where her fingers were still crinkling the pleat in her skirt and pried them loose. Slowly, he backed up, holding her hands, until the backs of his calves hit his bed. She looked confused and aroused, her big blue eyes dark.

He sat down on the edge and spoke softly, “C’mere.” He moved his thighs apart and pulled her between them. Looking up at her, he locked his eyes with hers to watch for any change in expression. He didn’t want to scare her as he touched her calves lightly and then the backs of her knees. Her soft skin made him bite his lip. She put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself as her eyes went wide in surprise and anticipation. The genius was still blushing furiously. Her small hands went to the sides of Kevin’s neck to stroke her thumbs over his veins. His eyes closed in pleasure briefly. It soothed the anger that was still lingering.

Kevin let his hands slide up further as he opened his eyes to look back up at her. He touched the bottom of the skirt and lightly traced his fingers around the bottom of it, quietly asking her if this was okay. She nodded and he slowly slid his hands up further to cup her bare bottom. She blushed hard but didn’t move away. He kneaded the soft globes gently and she squeaked, putting a hand over her mouth. He smiled and nuzzled her flat tummy.

Edd bit her lip and smiled at the affection. His hands on her bum were making her face burn but he was being very sweet. She took his hat off and massaged his scalp. He groaned and pulled her closer by her butt. She laughed quietly until he started kneading her again. She bit her lip and grew excited at what she thought might come. He had said she needed a good spanking after all.

He let go of her bum and moved his hands to the front of the jacket she was still wearing. He undid the snaps and pulled it off of her, flushing. She looked like a naughty Catholic schoolgirl. Her breasts were pushing at the front of her white button-up, straining the center-most button because her bra usually kept them in check. He could see her areolas through her shirt and the knowledge that she wasn’t wearing panties made the image better. He was definitely going to have to thank Nazz and make her swear to never do it again. This was his and his alone to enjoy.

He leaned up and nuzzled between her breasts, her hands still in his hair. Their faces were both red, but they had done this before. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. He wanted to try something though and moved his mouth over to one of the darkened circles behind her shirt and licked it through the fabric.

“Kevin!?” He looked up at her and raised a brow as he did it again, keeping eye contact. Her eyelids fluttered and her fingers tightened in his hair. “Oh... Dear...”

He purred and did it again before he felt the bud strain against the fabric. He pulled it into his mouth through the material and suckled. She moaned loudly, putting a hand over her mouth. Amused at her reaction, he slid his hands back up under her skirt to settle on the outsides of her thighs.

After the material was soaked and she was squirming, he moved to the other, repeating his attentions on it. His fingers kneaded her thighs as his teeth grazed across her through her shirt. Her breath caught and she moaned. He smiled against her before pulling his mouth away to look at her. The picture she made was even more lewd than it had been before. He could clearly see her nipples through her shirt now. He glanced up to her face and she was panting slightly, her cheeks flushed and her eyelids low over her cyan eyes.

Eddith was surprised at how much she was enjoying this. She had initially objected because Kevin was getting her shirt wet with his mouth but those objections had quickly faded. She could feel her pulse between her legs by now. He was going to drive her insane before this was all over.

Kevin pushed her slightly away from himself and put his legs back out in front of him and patted his knee. She blushed and bit her lip, severely embarrassed. She did as she was directed though and laid across his legs, presenting her butt to him. She buried her face in her arms to hide her shame. He saw her hiding and turned her face before kissing her. This wasn’t about punishing her for her actions anymore. He wanted her to enjoy it.

He let her mouth go and touched the back of her thigh, lying his hand across it, not yet moving it. She jumped slightly at the contact but relaxed when she felt him just resting there. Slowly, he pushed his hand up and the skirt came with it to bare her bum to the cool air of his room. She blushed harder and buried her face in her arms again. He smiled at her actions and smoothed his hand over her pale behind. She really did have a nice ass.

He didn’t want to hurt her, so he didn’t do it too hard the first time. He pulled his hand back and brought it back down with a light pop. She started slightly and a soft sound between a moan and a squeak came out of her mouth, muffled by her arms. He shifted his legs slightly because his cock was straining against his jeans and making him uncomfortable. She wasn’t squirming to get away so he figured she was alright. He would stop if she asked him to. He brought his hand down again, a little harder this time. She moaned loudly this time and it left a hand mark on her pale skin. He smoothed his hand over the mark to soothe it.

Edd was so aroused it was almost painful. She hadn’t thought she would enjoy it this much. And Kevin was being considerate and not doing it too hard. His actions before with her nipples had only added fuel to the fire that was burning in her belly. He brought his hand down again and tingles shot up her spine and she gasped. That one had been harder and made her heart rate go up. His warm hand soothed the red mark she could feel. She fisted her hand in the leg of his jeans to hold onto him.

Kevin looked at the marks he had made on her. They would fade soon. He placed a kiss in the middle of his palm print and she jerked, saying his name. He chuckled. “Calm down, Edd.” He turned her over and cradled her before he kissed her. She sighed against his mouth and he pulled her lip between his teeth, tugging gently. She moaned and her arms circled his neck. One of his hands was resting on her back, but the other was stroking her thigh. She shivered from the sensation.

He pulled back to look at her and met her eyes. He wanted to take care of her, but he also wanted to do something he’d been thinking about since she told him she’d never done anything to herself. He leaned over and grabbed a pillow before standing, still holding her. He carried her over to his desk, directly across from his door where a floor-length mirror hung. He sat her on her feet and sat down, propping his back against the desk and put the pillow on the floor between his spread thighs and patted it so she would sit down on it.

She bit her lip, unsure of what he had in mind. Deciding that she would trust him, she sat and leaned back against him. He pulled her hips back against his and sat up straight, giving her some support. She caught sight of them in the mirror and blushed hard at how she looked. She now understood why he’d made her wear his jacket all day. Her outfit was nearly obscene. The shirt was too tight without the support of her bra and the skirt was entirely too short for her taste. But Nazz had insisted.

Kevin turned her face to look at him and kissed her. His lids were low over his hazel eyes. “Edd, I want to teach you something,” he said quietly. She swallowed at his tone but nodded slowly. “I want you to watch what I do in the mirror and don’t look away. Okay?” She nodded again and he kissed her, nipping her lip. “Let me get you a little more comfortable first.” He nuzzled her jaw. “Watch.”

She turned her head back to look forward and watched as his fingers deftly unbuttoned her shirt down to her navel. Her instincts told her to close the shirt and hide so she put her hands on Kevin’s knees that were propped up on either side of her. He nuzzled and nipped down her neck as he unbuttoned her shirt before lightly touching his fingers to the swell of her breasts where the shirt parted. Her heart rate elevated. She could see exactly what he was doing to her. There was no hiding in the dark with them like this. The light of the afternoon was pouring in through the window across them and she could see everything in its golden glow.

His tanned hands against the milky white of her skin where he was touching her was a stark relief. He looked up and met her eyes in the mirror and her breath caught. He smiled at her before kissing her ear. “I love you. Relax, okay?”

She nodded and kept watching as he cupped her through her shirt and rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. She gasped at the feeling. “Oh... dear...”

Carefully, so he wouldn’t pop the buttons at her waist, he pulled the shirt apart, using its tightness to his advantage. He used the halves to present her breasts, pulling them out with the shirt holding them together. She blushed at the way she looked. She thought it was slightly ridiculous until Kevin cupped her again and pinched them lightly. She moaned and brought a hand up to cover her mouth. She saw him watching her with dark eyes. Her face flushed a dark red and he pinched her again, twisting gently. The roughness of his fingers added another layer to the sensation. She bit down on her finger to hold in her noises because she wasn’t sure if they were alone in the house.

He nudged her collar aside with his nose and kissed her shoulder before nipping it and leaving a mark on her. She could see it in the mirror as he played with her. She wanted to look away, but she was afraid she would miss something.

He moved his mouth back up to her ear. “Lift your legs up for me,” he asked.

She blushed hard, but did as he told her, keeping her knees and ankles together.

Kevin bit his lip to keep from smiling. Even when she was already so exposed, she tried to keep some kind of modesty. But right now, he didn’t want modesty. He wanted her open to him. He lowered his hands away from her chest to slide them between her thighs and gently pry them apart. The skirt slid up to bare her completely.  

Edd watched with rapt attention even though her cheeks felt like they would burst into flames. She covered her mouth with her hand as she saw herself for the first time.

He was looking too, a serious expression on his face. “Do you see how beautiful you are, Eddith? Every bit of you.” One of his arms went around her waist while the other stayed on her inner thigh to hold them apart. Seeing her like this was the best idea he’d ever had. He wanted her to see herself how he saw her.

His thumb rubbed over the soft skin of her thigh before he slid his hand closer to the apex of her thighs. He watched her, eyes big in her face, as he gently traced through the curls at the top of her sex. Her lashes fluttered at the feeling. She bit her lip and her hips rocked slightly up into his hand without permission and her eyes widened even further. Kevin hummed in encouragement and kissed her neck. She was doing well. She hadn’t looked away even once.

Slowly, he traced his fingers lower, sliding them against her heat. She made a noise in her throat with her hand against her lips.

His head fell forward onto her shoulder. She was soaked. He nuzzled her neck and shoulder, trying to collect himself. This was about her, not what he wanted. He looked up and watched her face. Her eyes were intent on what he was doing with his hand. He couldn’t even bring himself to speak because of the look in her eyes.

Gently, he slid one finger into her and she groaned. Her head falling back against his shoulder, but she kept her eyes open to watch him. He bit his lip and told himself to concentrate. He pumped the digit for a long moment, laying kisses on her shoulder before adding another into her tight heat. Her eyes widened and she moaned. His name slipped past her lips as he made a slow scissor motion with his fingers. His other hand moved to cup her breast again, pinching her nipple as he worked inside of her. Her hips bucked slightly and he nipped her shoulder.

Edd was overwhelmed. She’d never done this before and it felt wonderful. Kevin’s tender hands were teaching her what to do, but she had a feeling that she was going to prefer it when he took care of her. How had she gone so long without doing this?

He wriggled his fingers inside of her and touched his thumb to the top of her sex, rolling it around the nub there. Her hips bucked hard. “Fuck!” Her eyes widened and her back arched.

Kevin grinned against her neck and did it again. Her reaction was much like the first. He looked at her in the mirror. He couldn’t help it. “Look at you, baby. Look how pretty you are.”

She met his eyes in the mirror before doing as she was told and actually looked at herself. Her hair was all over and she was flushed all the way down to her chest. Her long legs matched his, their feet touching. Then she looked at her face and noticed what she hadn’t been able to before. Her face was relaxed, completely. No signs of worry or stress. She saw what Kevin saw on a daily basis. She saw what he had been telling her since the night they got together. She was actually stunning. “Oh...”

Kevin smiled and rolled his thumb again. “Yeah... Oh...” She groaned when he pulled his hand away and whimpered. “Shhh.” He took her hand in his and guided it to where his had been. He taught her how to move her fingers and kissed her neck. “You’re doing just fine, baby.”

She moaned in response and watched as their hands worked. She had to admit that this whole scenario was arousing as she learned more about her body.

Kev took his hand away and let her do it on her own. He popped the buttons free on her shirt, smoothing his hands over her soft skin. She lifted her other hand above her head to tangle in his hair to anchor herself. He groaned quietly into her neck. He could tell that she was growing close to her orgasm by the pitch of her voice.

He glanced up and found her still watching herself in the mirror, like she couldn’t look away. God, but she was beautiful like this, completely given in to her needs, her higher brain function shut down.

He teased and kneaded her chest as she brought herself to completion. She arched hard, her back bowing. She let out something akin to a scream as her eyes went wide and her hand tightened painfully in his hair. He held onto her around her middle and cooed to her, talking her through it. She collapsed against him heavily and panted. He smoothed her hair back from her sweaty face and kissed her cheek. “You okay, baby?”

Eddith panted and pulled him down for a real kiss. “Oh my, yes.” She nipped his lip and sucked on it gently. “Thank you, Kevin.”

He groaned against her mouth and squeezed her waist. “Trust me. It was my pleasure.”

She smiled and kissed him again. “Still, thank you.”

 

 


	10. Prom Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love Carrie.

Edd hadn’t ever had so much trouble getting dressed in her life. There were moments when she wished her mother and father were back together so she could have both of them around. Especially tonight.

And the zipper on the back of her dress was being a total pain in the ass.

She heard the doorbell sound throughout the house and groaned. “Good lord. This is the first time he’s ever early. And it has to be when I’m not ready.”

She gave up on trying to get the zipper done and put her feet in her strappy shoes before almost running down the stairs as the bell rang again. “Coming!”

Sliding to a halt in front of the door, she straightened herself and pulled her straps back up onto her shoulders where they had slid down before pulling open the door.

Kevin stood on her doorstep in a tuxedo, hair swept back from his face in a wave, hat nowhere to be found. His shoulders filled the jacket out perfectly and the tie in burnt orange pulled out his green eyes. He lifted them and looked at her, his mouth falling open slightly. “Oh...”

Edd stepped back so he could come in and he took the invitation. “I hope it’s not too much...” she said as she looked down at the full half-skirt. It was modeled after fifties dresses with the fitted waist and a floating tulle skirt. The burnt orange looked fantastic with her skin tone and her hair fell in dark spirals around her shoulders.

He tipped her face up to look at him and shook his head slowly. “It’s perfect, Edd.”

She gave him a weak smile. “It may be perfect, but I am struggling with keeping it on.”

He arched a brow and she turned away from him to show him the open zipper. He laughed and moved her hair out of the way. He carefully pulled it up as he kissed the nape of her neck.

She jumped slightly at the touch but turned and smiled at him. “Thank you.”

He smiled back as her hair fell into her eyes again. He rolled his eyes in good-natured exasperation. “I have something for you.”

She looked confused as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and opened it. Her heart did a little flip flop until she saw they were hairpins. She sighed slightly in relief and smiled brightly at him when she saw they were the same ones he’d given her eight months ago, but these matched her dress instead of her eyes.

He carefully pinned her hair back, green eyes intent on what he was doing. When he was done, he stood back and took her hands. “You look gorgeous, Edd.”

She flushed and looked down slightly before her eyes flicked back up. “You look very nice yourself, Kevin.”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, not wanting to smudge her lipstick. “Thanks, babe.” He pulled her close by her waist, hands resting over the band of fabric that made her look smaller than she already was. He just wanted her close for a moment. “Are you ready?”

She set her hands on his elbows and nodded. “I just need my clutch.”

He nodded and stepped back to let her go retrieve it. He watched as she mounted the stairs, ankles wrapped in silver ribbons. He hadn’t been lying. She was stunning in the dress. It was such a different thing to see her in versus his Letterman and jeans.

When she descended again, he was taken again with the whole image.

She smoothed her skirt when she saw the look on his face. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head and smiled at her. “Just thinking I’m a lucky bastard.”

Her face went scarlet and she wished for her hat or hair to hide behind, but Kevin had made sure she couldn’t hide.

“Thank you.” She stepped close and he took her hand, putting it onto his forearm so he could walk her out of the house.

He had borrowed his mother’s car since the bike wouldn’t really cooperate with her dress. He opened the door for her and made sure her skirt was all in before closing it carefully behind her.

 

As he drove, he felt the pressure of the possibility of being King. His hands shook slightly as he shifted gears and Edd noticed. She reached over and squeezed his fingers. He glanced over at her and she was smiling.

“It’s okay, Kevin. I’m not going anywhere.”

He gave her a tremulous smile back and turned his hand over long enough to return the reassurance. “I know, but I’m still nervous.”

She nodded. “That’s perfectly normal and it’s okay.”

He returned his attention back to the road as they grew closer. “Yeah, I know. Thank you for this.”

“For what, Kevin?” She had no idea what he had to thank her for.

“Coming with me, making sure I don’t have a panic attack, looking absolutely fantastic while you do it all.” He shrugged and smiled slightly while she just shook her head.

“You must be nervous if you’re laying on the flattery this thick.”

He laughed and that was exactly what she wanted. She reached over and settled her hand on the back of his neck, rubbing her thumb along the tendon under his ear to calm him.

When he parked, he looked over at her and took the hand she had used to soothe him and kissed her palm. “Still think I’m a lucky bastard.”

She smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to his mouth. “And I believe I am a very lucky girl.” She gently wiped away the lipstick on his mouth.

He held still for her before getting out and walking around to open the door for her. She humored him and took his hand, steadying herself in her heels as she rose. It hadn’t occurred to her at home, but now she was almost at eye level with Kevin.

“Gonna have to beat people off you with a stick,” said a voice from behind them.

They turned and found Eddy and Ed standing behind them. They had both cleaned up and had dressed in the tuxes that Edd had helped them pick out.

She felt Kevin stiffen beside her but he remained quiet. He still hadn’t forgiven Eddy for turning his back on her when she needed both of her best friends but he didn’t want to cause a fight tonight. It wasn’t worth ruining it for her.

“Thank you, Eddy.” She gave him a smile and hugged him and Ed too.

When she stepped back, Kevin’s arm went around her, hand resting on her hip in a move of possessiveness that made her cheeks flush. “Let’s get inside. It’s a little cool out here for you to be out too long.”

She looked up at Kevin and nodded. She couldn’t disagree with him but she had a feeling it had something to do with Eddy.

He led them up the steps and into the hallway outside the ballroom that the school had rented. He saw a few of his friends loitering out in the hall with their dates and everyone stopped to look at Edd.

He saw the way everyone else was looking at her and he felt his chest swell with that feeling of luck again and pride in having Edd be his.

Edd was busy looking around before she noticed the way the girls that were gathered in a small cluster were looking at her. She would have had to have been blind to miss the glares and open distain on their faces. She should have been accustomed to it after so long, but it was still disappointing to see that it had spilled over into tonight.

Kevin was busy talking to his friends as he kept her close and they all told her she looked great in different words and to her surprise, they all sounded sincere. The looks she got from the girls only got worse as their dates spent time looking at her.

After spending some time with his friends, they moved on and actually made it into the ballroom. Eddy and Ed had already gone in before them.

Edd stayed close to Kevin as the music wrapped around them and the dimmed lights made her have to pause to adjust. Kev waited until she took a step forward to follow after her as she moved around to people she knew and some she didn’t that Kevin saw and spoke with briefly.

They were sitting at a table with a couple of other baseball players when Eddy and Ed came up to them, Eddy plopping down in the chair next to her. Kevin’s fingers tightened on hers briefly but he didn’t object to his company because he knew it would upset the tentative truce they’d come to.

“So, Edd, Lumpy and I were wondering, who’s going to be King?”

Kevin’s heart felt like it was going to stop at the question, but Edd laced their fingers together as she answered casually. “Eddy, you know I can’t tell you that. We’ll know in about an hour or so.”

“Edd, you are absolutely no fun.” He huffed and got up to wander away again, but Ed stayed.

“Double-D?”

She looked over at him.

“You look nice.” He said nothing further as he walked away to trail after Eddy.

For some reason that made her eyes sting as she smiled.

Kevin leaned over and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “For once, I agree with him.”

She blushed and turned to look at him, the smile still on her mouth. “I’m glad we’re all here. I’m glad I’m here with you though. Some things are better than if they had never changed.”

He smiled back at her and his eyes were soft. “Me too, Edd.”

He leaned over and kissed her, not caring that her lipstick got on his mouth again. Laughing she wiped it away. “I really don’t think that’s your colour, Kevin.”

His smile turned into one of mischief as he leaned in close to speak into her ear. “Look forward to seeing you in just those shoes and that lipstick and nothing else, babe.”

Her face coloured deeply and she pushed him away, laughing. “Kevin, don’t say such things.”

He just grinned unapologetically and pulled her close again.

The players that were sitting around the table had grown accustomed to the way Kevin acted around Edd. Most of them didn’t mind. It did come up sometimes between them and they wondered what he saw in her, but in moments when she was laughing, it wasn’t hard to see.

 

Nearly an hour later, Kevin coaxed her out onto the dancefloor and pulled her close as a slow song guided their feet.

“Oh, Kevin, I’m not a very good dancer. I’ll step on your toes.”

He shrugged, hands settling on her waist. “I don’t care, babe. Bruised toes are worth it.”

Her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders and laced behind his neck as he drew her against him. “It’s your hospital visit.”

He chuckled and kissed her nose as they moved in slow circles. “I’ll live.”

She smiled and laid her head against his shoulder as they swayed with the music and he held her close. It was nice just to spend time with him and not have to worry about school anymore or one of her experiments.

“Attention please.”

They both stopped moving along with everyone else as the music faded and the principal stood on the stage that had been erected to one side of the hall. She stood with a microphone in her hand as she waited for everyone’s attention.

“It’s time to announce the King and Queen of the Spring Formal this year.” She said it with excitement as everyone started talking in hushed tones.

Kevin groaned and held Edd close. He knew. He knew from the way she reached up and kneaded the back of his neck.

It took a few moments for everyone to get in place and the principal to get the crowns from one of the people on the stage with her along with the ballet totals.

She beamed at everyone and held up one envelope. “This year’s King is...” She opened the envelope and pulled out a cardstock before announcing, “Kevin Barr!”

Cheers went up and Edd smiled up at him as she kissed his cheek, hastily wiping away the mark. “I’ll be here, Kevin. It’s going to be okay.”

He nodded and squeezed her, putting a smile on as he reluctantly let her go and made his way to the stage. He mounted the stairs and stood next to the principal as she made him bend so she could put the crown on his head.

He kept the brave smile on his face and found Edd in the crowd. She was smiling reassuringly at him and it made everything else a little easier to bear.

The principal took the second envelope and Kevin expected that a cheerleader or one of the student council girls would win.

Funny enough, he was right.

“The Queen of this year’s Spring formal is... Eddith Vincent!”

He saw the exact moment it registered on Edd’s face. She went from smiling to confused to mildly terrified. He held his hand out in her direction and saw her swallow but she started to move toward the stage.

An enraged shriek came from the crowd and he saw one of the girls storm out, pushing out one of the doors, followed by a couple of her friends.

He turned his attention back to Edd as she walked up the stairs and stood next to him. He reached over and took her fingers, giving her back her reassuring smile. She was still in a state of shock. The crowd didn’t seem as shocked though. Of course, they’d voted for her.

She curtsied as the principal brought over her crown and settled it into her dark hair. He heard her say, “Congratulations, dear.”

Edd gave her a small smile but didn’t speak as the principal moved away and started talking again for a few moments.

Kevin felt Edd squeeze his fingers hard and he felt bad that she had to deal with this sort of attention, though it was all positive.

He looked over at her and she had a frozen smile on her face as she stood there, looking out over the crowd. He noticed something drip onto her shoulder. It was dark. She didn’t seem to notice though.

He looked above them and saw a bucket suspended above her with ropes on a narrow rafter used to support lights for the stage. “Oh fuck.”

He saw it tipping slightly and snatched her around the waist, spinning with her in his arms away from it. He felt the splatters on the legs of his pants.

Stunned silence fell over everyone in the room. “Kevin, what---?” She stopped though when she looked past his shoulder and saw the red spatter marks where a pool was beginning to gather.

He gently sat her down on her feet as she held onto his lapels. He took her face between his palms. “Are you alright?”

She nodded between his hands and met his eyes. “Yes, Kevin.”

He was focused solely on her and it was a little overwhelming considering his anxiety and the amount of people that were watching them.

Slowly, people started to clap and Kevin saw the flash of cameras. They turned and he pulled her against his side. Her cheeks were pink but she leaned against him as the principal managed to recover and announced, “I present to you your King and Queen.”

The applause grew louder and he held her hard against his side as they both pasted smiles on.

When they moved to leave the stage, Kevin scooped her up and strode through the red kool aid mess as if it wasn’t there, his face turning to hard lines once they stepped out of the spotlight. She leaned against him and let him carry her outside after taking one of the side exit doors.

He sat her down and strode away a few steps, ripping the crown from his head and looking beyond angry. “Fucking cheerleaders and their goddamned Carrie bullshit.”

Edd stood silent until she could get her own emotions under control. When she could, she walked to him and hugged him from behind, laying her cheek against his shoulder. “Kevin.” She spoke calmly to draw him back from the brink of doing something rash.

He was stiff under her touch, but he stopped cursing to listen.

“I am alright thanks to you. And after tonight, I only have to see those people one more time at graduation next week. I’m not even really upset or at all shocked. I expected something to happen, though that was a little over the top.”

He turned in her arms and held her hard, burying his face against her hair. “I’m just glad you’re okay. If I ever find out who did it...” He left the threat open-ended.

“You’re not going to do anything to anyone, Kevin. It’s alright. I wasn’t harmed and you pulled me out of the way.” She turned her face to kiss him. “Thank you for doing so. But please calm down.”

He nodded against her skin but didn’t let her go.

The cold began to seep into her as they stood there, her bare legs not helping her situation. Her teeth chattered slightly.

Kevin pulled back and cursed, rushing to pull off his jacket and wrap it around her. He’d dropped the crown in his rush. “Sorry, Edd. I didn’t think. I just had to get us out of there.”

She held the jacket around her, soaking up the heat from his body that was left. “It’s alright, Kevin.”

She saw the crown and bent to pick it up, wiping it off with her fingers before putting it back on him as she kissed him. “Are you alright?” she asked as she pulled away.

He nodded and took her hands. “Yeah. I’m fine. I was just worried about you. Still mad but I’ll get over it.” He smiled slightly. “Got the prettiest queen right in front of me though and that’s what matters to me.”

She blushed and smiled back at him. “Charmer.”

He pointed to the crown. “Prince Charming, if you please.”

She laughed and leaned against him when he pulled her close. They stood quiet for long moments as they moved in slow circles to music that wasn’t there. “You know, all things considered, I’ve enjoyed myself tonight.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding skeptical.

She nodded against his chest. “Yes. I got to spend it with you and nothing truly terrible happened and a little bitty piece of me is happy that I won.”

“Yeah?” he pulled back to look at her.

“Yes. Though don’t tell anyone I said that. I think every girl wonders what it would be like to win this,” she said as she pointed to her crown.

He nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

She smiled. “Would you like to go back inside or go home?”

He thought about it for a second. “I think we’d better go home so I don’t do something stupid if I see those girls. Plus, I’ve got that on my pants. Kind of want to get out of these.”

She nodded. “Let me go say goodbye to Eddy and Ed and we’ll go.”

“Sure, Edd.” He held the door open for her as they entered. People talked in hushed tones as they passed.

She tried to give him his jacket back since they were inside, but he waved her off, telling her it was just going to get given back when they left.

Ed found her before she could find them, sweeping her up into a bonecrushing hug. “Double-D, I thought you were going to get slimed from above. It would have been terrible. Like that one time in _Zorflan the Conqueror_.”

She hugged him back and smiled. “I remember. But I’m okay, Ed.”

He put her back down and Eddy came over, hands in his pockets. He looked up at Kevin before taking one of his hands out of his pocket and holding it out to Kev. “Thanks for looking out for her.”

Edd was mildly stunned and Kevin looked wary, but took the hand and shook it. “I plan on looking out for her for a long time.”

Eddy nodded. “Yeah. I get that now.”

Edd tackled him in a hug, Kevin’s jacket falling from her shoulders.

“Easy, Sockhead. Your dress is covered in glittery crap and I don’t want to get it on my suit.”

She smiled and pulled away, seeing the uncomfortable reluctant blush on his face as Kevin picked up the jacket and put it back around her. “We’re going to go. My feet are killing me and I think we’ve had enough excitement for the night.”

They nodded and Ed gave her one last hug before they walked back out to the car.

 

 


	11. Wear That Ball and Chain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long, rocky road with you lads, but here is where we end it.

Edd could feel it in the air. She knew something was about to change. Something big. The air was buzzing early that spring morning as she sat astride Kevin’s motorcycle. She was waiting for him to slide on in front of her so they could get going but he’d forgotten something in the house and had gone back in to get it.

As he came back out, the sun glinted off the golden red of his hair and his smile was infectious. She returned it and wrapped her arms around his waist as he sat in front of her.

He took her fingers in his and kissed her palm before putting his helmet on and starting the bike. Somewhere in their ventures together, she had grown used to the rumbling vibration and it no longer startled her.

Backing out of his driveway, they headed out, traversing the greater part of the city as he drove aimlessly it seemed.

After feeding her homemade muffins that morning, he’d asked her if she wanted to go out on the bike and spend time together. It had been a quick affirmative from her. She just liked spending time with him and with the coming onslaught of graduation and college for both of them, this was a welcome reprieve for her and probably him too.

Eventually, he took the bike out on open highway headed out of the city. She squeezed his waist in question but he just put his hand over hers in reassurance that he knew where he was going. Instead of worrying, she laid her cheek against his shoulder and basked in the warm sun shining down on her back and shoulders through her t-shirt and sighed contentedly. Even if they just ended up turning around and driving back without reaching an actual destination, she wouldn’t mind. Just this was enough.

The bike slowed and she raised her head to see that he was pulling off into a gravelled spot near a trail that wandered through the trees. When he stopped and clicked the ignition off, she pulled her helmet off and shook out her hair. “What are we doing here, Kevin?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Just kinda wanted to get out of the city for a while. This isn’t a hike so don’t worry. It’s a level trail.”

She nodded and waited until he dismounted to slide off into his waiting hands. “That’s alright. I wouldn’t mind anyway.” She stood on her toes and kissed him and he pulled her closer to hug her.

When she pulled away, he smiled.

She touched his face before taking his hand.

He dropped another kiss to her mouth before turning them toward the trail and leading her along a dirt path that was clearly cut through the trees, hands laced together as he led her for a good half mile. Finally, he slowed and she looked over at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking out in front of them.

She turned her eyes forward and gasped. In front of them, the tops of trees were visible as far as the eye could see until they hit mountains because they were very near a cliff face that dropped down hundreds of feet.

He squeezed her fingers and led her forward a bit more, not wanting to get too near the edge. “I thought you might like this place,” he said quietly as a breeze blew past and snatched her hair.

Her eyes were latched onto the forest below as it swayed and moved with the life the wind gave it. Holes in the clouds above gave the leaves a golden fringe in places and shadows moved across the rest to give it a holy feeling.

She felt him move beside her and looked over and then down when he was no longer at eye level.

From his knees, he reached for her other hand and held her fingers to make her face him.

“Kevin, what are you doing?” Confusion pinched her brow as the wind wrapped her hair around her shoulders like something alive.

He squeezed her fingers. “I want to tell you something and I want you to know I mean it. More than anything, I need you to know I mean it.” His eyes were serious and flashed in the sunlight racing across the sky.

She nodded. “Of course I’ll believe you, Kevin. I just don’t understand--”

“Shh. Edd, just let me get this out, okay?” he asked quietly.

“Alright, Kevin,” she said as she looked down at him.

“I told you when we first got together when I started to have feelings for you. I wasn’t wholly honest though.” Her brows came down but he went on. “I’ve been in love with you since before we even got together. You’re smart and you’re too brave for your own good and I love you.”

His thumbs rubbed across her knuckles as her eyes stung and started to fill with tears. “Don’t you know that you’re too pretty to cry?” he asked with a small smile.

A laughing sob fell from her mouth as she sank to her knees and threw her arms around him as she buried her face against his neck. Through her tears, she said what he already knew.

Letting go with one of his hands, he slid it into his pocket and pulled something out as he spoke quietly into her hair. “Listen, I know graduation’s soon and I know we’re going to college and a hundred other things are coming at us like a train, but I want to add another one that can be dealt with when we’re ready.”

She pulled back to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

He held up the little box between them.

Her eyes widened before darting to his face. “Kevin?”

He kissed her carefully. “We started out on a rough patch in life. More will come but I want them to be with you right there with me.” He used his thumb to flip it open so he wouldn’t have to let go of her and showed it to her.

More tears came when she saw the simple diamond set in gold.

“Marry me?” he asked quietly.

She sobbed and hugged him so hard he couldn’t breathe but he just held her and the ring tight and felt his own eyes turn traitor with the waterworks as she said yes against his shoulder.

Gently, he pushed her away and wiped her face with his thumbs as he kissed her before he took the ring out of the box and slid it into place on her finger. He raised her hand and kissed her palm as he looked into her eyes.

“I love you so much it makes me stupid,” he said and she smiled before leaning against him and hugging his waist as ran his fingers through her hair while she looked out over the forest below.

“Thank you so much for all of this, Kevin. Thank you for everything.”

 

Edd looked around at the massive group, she took a deep breath and smiled. “Welcome, students, teachers, and family to another milestone in our lives. We have finally achieved something we worked four long years on. Although some will agree that it was a lot longer than four years.”

There was a chuckle in the crowd. She looked over the group and spotted Kevin who gave her an encouraging smile. “It feels like it took forever, every homework assignment finished or ignored depending on who you were.” More laughter. “Every lunch eaten with friends, every point scored in sports, every holiday celebrated, every final dreaded.”

“We accomplished so much, did so many things, and now we are going off to a great many more.” She looked over her friends, smiling at Ed and Eddy. “And we will have the memories and experience we were given here to help and guide us.”

She rolled the ring that was on her finger slowly, smiling at the feel of it. “The future is bright for us, and on our graduation, it’s one step closer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be no epilogue or second part. This is it, lads. The end of the line. 
> 
> Godspeed.


End file.
